Falling Roses Burn Brighter
by Zeroan
Summary: Cinder Fall always accomplishes her objectives - be it by power or trickery, she has never failed. But in her time at Beacon Academy, she finds herself confronted by an obstacle she cannot surpass: a young redhead by the name of Ruby Rose. (Shipping with plot! Yay!)
1. Spark

**ACT I**

Beacon's courtyard was filled with sound, the loud chattering of its students leaving its halls as they partied. Laughter and cheers came as a particular group started to dance, and the rest followed suit. Even from outside, the happiness of the occasion could be felt.

As she landed on a nearby rooftop, Cinder rolled her eyes. This school was supposed to hold the most promising youth of their time, Remnant's future defendants, but from her point of view, they were just children with dreams of grandeur.

But she… _She_ had a real purpose to be there.

"Mercury. Emerald." She muttered, touching the communication device on her left ear "Are we clear?"

She received nothing but a screeching sound of static. Cinder closed her eyes and took a deep breath. They were probably waited for a definite answer; holding a long conversation with her in the middle of a ballroom party wouldn't be very subtle.

When five minutes passed, however, she gritted her teeth and activated the device again.

"Are we clear?" She repeated, barely restraining her anger.

There was a break in the static, then Mercury's voice filled her ear.

"Uh, sure." He said, sounding a little out of breath "We're clear!"

"Good." Cinder frowned "What took you so long?"

"Oh, we… We were dancing." Emerald joined in nervously "Everyone started to, so we had to follow. You said we need to keep appearances."

The raven-haired woman lowered her head and pinched her temple. She hadn't been born yesterday; clearly her two _partners_ were not _keeping up appearances_. As smart as they thought they were, she knew exactly how they felt about each other.

Truth be told, she didn't care even in the slightest if they wanted to kiss or kill each other. As long as they did their jobs, she could put up with them. But she had never expected them to lose their focus so quickly.

"I did say that." She conceded "Try to keep appearances in a less… childish way."

"Childish?" Mercury chuckled "Is that jealousy I hear in your voice, Cinder?"

"Stop talking and focus on your job."

"She's totally jealous." Emerald stated.

Cinder turned off the device and stood up quickly. She climbed further atop the roof and set her eyes on the tower in the distance, her destination. Before she headed out to it, however, she looked over her shoulder, back to Beacon.

Music was blasting at full volume at the party now, and still, the laughter was overwhelming it. Cinder's eyes flashed with wanting for a brief moment, right before she ran away.

* * *

Despite her previous excitement about the dance, Ruby found herself growing tired of it fast. Maybe it had something to do with those infernal high heels her sister had forced her to wear; or that the punch she had drunk had begun to really upset her stomach for the last few minutes (she should have listened to Yang's warning about that particular bowl); or, heck, maybe she was sad about not having a date.

As she stepped out into the open air, her balance wavered and her shoes made a dangerous creaking noise.

 _It's the heels' fault_. She decided mentally.

As she righted her posture, Ruby caught a glimpse of something on top of a rooftop. She looked at it frantically, trying to locate what it was, but found nothing. It had been in her vision very briefly, but she was sure it had been there.

Trusting her instincts, the redhead continued walking forward, following a familiar path to the CCT, where Weiss and her had gone to some time back… Well, Weiss had gone there, while Ruby had chased Penny and found out she was a robot.

 _That was a weird day._ She recalled. _I never would have guessed she was a robot._

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sight of an unconscious security guard, his limp form half-hidden in the middle of a miniature garden in front of the tower. Ruby's hand shot to her Scroll, and with a few hurried taps, she sent a signal, and her weapon's locker crashed behind where she was standing.

The girl raced to it and took out Crescent Rose. A smile spread between her lips as she looked down at the folded scythe

 _We're going to have fun tonight, baby._

* * *

Cinder's fingers flew along the keyboard, typing in her commands with graceful speed. She had been memorizing the task for days; if she wanted to, she could pretend to perform it in empty air, and not make a single error.

A beep signaled she had completed the sequence, followed by an image of a chess piece flickering on the monitor screen. She smirked and stood up, feeling satisfied with herself.

"The deed is done." She said, activating her device again "Did anyone leave?"

Once more, no response came.

"Did. Anyone. Leave?" Cinder repeated through closed teeth.

Before she could wait for an answer, the elevator's door opened, and a familiar redhead stepped inside the computer room. Her silver eyes traveled across the place, stopping as soon as she found Cinder.

"…Hi." Ruby said awkwardly "You know, this isn't a masquerade party. So, how about you-"

Cinder jumped over the computer counter and leaped towards the student, bringing her arms down in a high arc, aiming at her shoulders. The whole movement was fluid, having no pause during it. It would knock the girl out cold, and she would never even stand a chance of reacting.

To Cinder's surprise, however, her attempt was blocked by the blurred swing of a scythe. The leather-clad woman flew back and landed on her feet, her stare fixing on her opponent with a degree of indignation.

"If you stop attacking me, I promise to not hurt you." Ruby spoke "Please? You don't even have a weapon…"

The offer caught the intruder off-guard. Out of everything, pleading for peaceful resolution was the last thing she expected. Furthermore, the young warrior sounded genuine, almost… friendly. She wasn't trying to pull a trick.

"I'm sure this is a misunderstanding." The redhead smiled charmingly.

Cinder's eyes narrowed and she opened her hands, preparing to materialize her twin swords using her Dust-woven clothes.

The elevator echoed a _beep_ , closed its doors, and descended. The intruder cursed mentally; someone else was going to join the scene.

"Last chance." Ruby spoke up again "Someone's coming already. Wouldn't it be better to be caught peacefully, instead of trying to hurt me?"

 _This is Mercury and Emerald's fault_. Cinder thought furiously. _I hope they're enjoying their damn dance._

She looked at her foe, trying to come up with a plan of escape. No way was she going to win a fight quickly enough; the redhead clearly had more skill than the average Beacon student. Cinder _could_ outright kill her, but it would bring a lot of unwanted attention, and…

And for some reason, she couldn't bring herself to even consider doing that. She had never felt that way. Killing was natural, a tool to overcome her obstacles, even if it shouldn't be abused. Why was this occasion different?

"Please?" Ruby pleaded.

Cinder smiled to her and started to walk towards her, lifting her hands peacefully. _Just_ _a distraction, then_.

Ruby smiled back to her and lowered her scythe. She felt proud of herself for diffusing the situation without further violence. She might enjoy slaying Grimm and, well, beating up goons, but she knew there were times when the best solution was to not fight at all. Words are as powerful as scythes, uncle Qrow always said, and she-

Cinder leaned down and kissed her cheek, leaving a red lipstick mark on it.

"W-what-" Ruby stammered, her thought process completely scrambled.

Then, her chin was lifted up gently, and the mysterious invader leaned down again, this time touching her lips with hers. The redhead's eyes widened, and she was too surprised to recoil from the kiss.

Cinder parted, gave her a confident smirk, and then leaned near her ear.

"Don't tell anyone." She whispered.

Then she took a step back and shoved the younger girl on her right shoulder. Ruby spun around helplessly, then fell sitting on the cold floor. She blinked several times, feeling completely lost, before she had the idea of looking around.

The intruder was gone.

The elevator opened, and James Ironwood stepped inside the room. He stared at Ruby, noticed the mark on her cheek, and just shook his head.

"Please tell me this isn't happening." He requested tiredly.

"Uh…" Ruby mumbled dumbly "It's… not what it looks like?"

* * *

Cinder changed her leather outfit into a black silk dress, then strode inside the ballroom. Her eyes scanned the crowd and narrowed when she spotted Mercury and Emerald, hands joined together, spinning in circles slowly.

The raven-haired woman marched to them and promptly pulled them apart.

"You had one job." She seethed "One job!"

The duo shared a look of barely-concealed amusement, then faced their colleague.

"Sorry." Mercury apologized, struggling to contain his laughter "We only noticed Ironwood left long after he was gone."

"That is _no excuse_." Cinder clucked her tongue "You will both pay for this."

Mercury covered his mouth with his hands, not able to hold his laughter in any longer. Cinder's ire grew.

"What are you laughing about?!" She demanded.

"Cinder, your…" Emerald giggled "Your lipstick is really messed up."

The mastermind blushed and rubbed her lips with a hand, desperately trying to fix up her appearance, but only managed to worsen it. Mercury was on the floor now, laughing hysterically, and Emerald was only a few stages before that state.

"I…" Cinder tried to say, but her sentence dissolved into a frustrated sigh "I hate parties."

* * *

"And then I said… Don't be sad, bro, just _Yang_ in there!"

The blonde brawler smiled and spread her arms gloriously. Weiss and Blake stared at her, shared an unamused look, and then shook their heads in synchrony.

"Why… Why aren't you laughing?" Yang asked, actually disappointed by their reactions "That was a good pun. Why can't you appreciate good puns?"

"That wasn't even a pun." Blake deadpanned "It was just… really bad."

"I think I would prefer listening to Ruby prattle on about cookies for the rest of our time at Beacon, than hearing another Yang joke." Weiss agreed coldly "Speaking of her… Where did the dolt go?"

Yang frowned and looked around the ballroom, but found no sign of her sister anywhere. She wasn't with Juniper at their table, or Sun and Neptune, who were dancing still (well, one of them was. The other was… _trying_ to dance). She wasn't even with Penny, who had stood at a far corner for all the duration of the party, only joined by her silent guardians.

"I honestly don't know." The blonde said "Last time I saw her, she was dangerously near the bowl of punch I spiked with… questionable substances."

"Wait- what did you just say?!" Weiss exclaimed, dropping her drink at a table with horror plastered on her face.

"Nothing." Yang whistled innocently.

Before further details could be pressed by the heiress, Ruby showed up, joining their circle silently. Her face was unnaturally pale, and her eyes carried a sense of shock.

"Oh, hey, sis." The brawler grinned "Where were you for the last hour? You lost Blake slapping a rejection on Sun's face."

"I did _no_ such thing." Blake glared at her partner "I just want to be friends, and I was very, very gentle with him!"

"Oh, yes. I know." Yang winked "Whoever you don't turn down, you won't be _very,_ _very gentle_ with."

The faunus hissed and dashed at the blonde, who immediately broke into a mad run for safety. Weiss stared at the two with faint amusement, then turned to look at her partner. A worried frown appeared on her forehead as she noticed something strange on her leader's face.

"Is that… lipstick on your left cheek?" The heiress asked slowly.

"W-what? No!" Ruby laughed nervously "That's… That's just, you know, the snack I ate. Cherries! They are… red and stuff."

"Really? Since when do cherries leave lip-like shapes on your cheeks when you eat them?" Weiss scoffed, not buying the excuse for a second.

"Uh…" The redhead scratched her head awkwardly "Look, Neptune is hitting on a random girl! I'll teach him a lesson! He belongs to Weiss Schnee!"

Ruby disappeared in a shower of petals. Her partner blinked confusedly.

"…I'm not even dating him."

Weiss realized she was talking to thin air, and eyed her abandoned glass of punch suspiciously. _It's all your fault! I'm not crazy! I'm a perfect heiress!_ She gave her surroundings a hurried scan, then retrieved the drink and brought it to her lips. _This is… delicious! What did Yang put in-_

Her eyes rolled back and she collapsed to the ground, falling on her back, unconscious. The people near her gave her curious looks, then resumed their chats, as if nothing strange had happened.

* * *

 **Woo! Surprise fanfic!  
**

 **If you have any doubt in mind, yes, this is a shipping story. Have no delusions. It's really different from what I have done here already with _Children of Summer_ and _Days of Spring_. I have no idea if I'll be able to write this kind of story as well as I want to, but, hey, first time for everything. And no, this will not be typical 'Cinder corrupts Ruby' plot. That has been done already, I think.**

 **I will be updating this fanfic once a week, every Saturday/Sunday. Do not fear, _Days of Spring_ readers, that won't suffer at all because of this fanfic. _DoS_ is still every Sunday and Wednesday. Yes, I am crazy enough to dare post three chapters a week.**

 **Aaaaaaaaaand...**

 **Beginning-sized thanks to everyone who will review, follow and favorite _Falling Roses Burn Brighter_!  
**

 **-Zeroan**


	2. Brighten

_Uuugh. My head…_

Weiss blinked several times, trying to bring her blurry vision back to normal. She could see the underside of Ruby's bed above her, and faintly heard the redhead and her sister talking somewhere near. _Too_ near.

"You dolts…" She mumbled, waving a hand tiredly "Shut… up!"

Yang laughed loudly, much to her dismay. The heiress tried to sink her head into her pillow, half because of the pain, and half because of the sheer humiliation of her situation. Weiss Schnee was having a hungover, an _accidental_ hungover.

A cool hand touched her forehead gently, and she narrowed her eyes at the black figure sitting on a stool beside her. Blake looked at her quietly, then recoiled her hand.

"I never thought I'd see the Schnee's heiress struggling over a hungover." The faunus said amusedly.

"This never happened." Weiss whispered angrily, then rubbed her temples "For the love of Remnant, will you two loudmouths shut up already?!"

Finally, the two sisters ceased their discussion.

"Sorry, Weiss." Ruby apologized meekly "Yang's upset because I chased after a bad gal last night. She messed with the CCT, and then she… uh, slipped away."

"That was reckless of you." Blake noted, her concern for her leader evident in her voice.

"It was _way_ beyond reckless!" Yang corrected "Ruby, you can't just _go_ after bad guys all by yourself! You were lucky Goodwitch helped you before we came to Beacon, and now you were lucky that invader didn't _kill_ you."

The younger sister's head lowered in shame. She knew Yang was right, but she just couldn't have waited for backup, and letting someone commit crime without consequence was never an option for her.

"I'm sorry. Next time, I'll call you three." Ruby promised "Look at the bright side! You all got to enjoy the party!"

"Define _enjoy_." Blake deadpanned.

The redhead lifted an eyebrow curiously. Before she went after the stranger, she had seen Blake dancing happily with Yang and Sun. Now, she made the event sound horrible.

"Things went sour after Sun asked her for a date." Yang explained briefly "Turns out the kitty isn't willing to share her heart with anyone else."

"You are making me sound like an unfeeling heartbreaker." Blake frowned "Is it so wrong that I just want to stay friends with him?"

"Nobody's judging you." Her partner raised her hands amicably "Anyway, Ruby's got a point. Weiss never had so much fun before in her life."

The heiress lifted a closed fist threateningly, but it fell in a matter of seconds, her being too exhausted to hold the attitude.

"So, when are you and Neptune going to touch butts?" Yang asked casually.

"What do you mean- Oh. _OH._ " Weiss glared at her blond teammate "I'm not even going to bother with a response."

Yang grinned happily. She enjoyed tormenting her teammates about their romantic lives way too much. It was like watching baby birds trying to fly for the first time; they either soared high, or crashed hard.

"We are lucky, sis. We might not have dates or boys after us, but we get to make fun of these two." She said happily.

"That's really mean, Yang. Besides, what's funny about love?" Ruby asserted with a pout.

"I have no love for Neptune." Weiss pointed out meekly "Also, get your sister out of the romance-less list. She showed up with lipstick on her cheek last night."

Ruby froze, then took step back as her three teammates fixed their sights on her. She laughed nervously, trying to play Weiss' phrase as a big misunderstanding.

"Lipstick, Ruby?" Yang inquired, not a trace of her previous joy left.

"Uh… I told you it was _cherry_ , Weiss." The redhead said slowly "I ate them quickly, and I kinda got dirty, you know?"

"As someone who kept her faunus identity a secret for months by using a bow on my head, I have to say that's the worst excuse I've ever heard." Blake deadpanned.

"Where were you last night?" Yang insisted "You didn't lie to us about the criminal, right?"

Ruby shook her head in a panic.

"I didn't lie! There was a criminal, and she hacked the CCT! Ask General Ironwood if you don't believe me!"

" _Lipstick_." Yang repeated in a demanding tone.

"Uh… The woman, she kinda- You know." The youngest sister raised her hands helplessly "Kissed me, and stuff. It was a distraction so she could get away."

The other three girls shared identical blank looks. Ruby seemed to shrink where she stood, expecting each and every one of them to freak out.

To her surprise, Yang sat on Blake's bed and leaned her head back, laughing. Weiss glared at her disapprovingly, while Blake stayed impassive.

"Oh, sis, that's the oldest trick in the book. Seriously, a kiss?" The blonde wiped a tear out of her eye "You should repeat a whole semester for falling for something like that."

"You're stupid!" Ruby yelled, crossing her arms childishly "Nobody teaches us how to react to something like that here at Beacon! What was I supposed to do, beat her up?!"

"Maybe you should have kisser her back." Yang's laughter rose and she fell back on the mattress.

The leader's face became as red as her cloak, more because of her embarrassment than rage. Without another word, she turned around and stormed out of the room.

Blake sighed as she gave Weiss a defeated look.

"Why can't things ever be simple?" She asked.

"Because we have a Rose and a Xiao-Long on our team." The heiress groaned. She gritted her teeth and covered her face " _Fucking hell_. She won't stop laughing."

Blake realized that, for Weiss to resort to such crude language, she must have been in real pain. The faunus' eye narrowed as she turned to look at her partner.

"Yang, tone it down." She demanded "Can't you see Weiss has a headache?"

Yang smiled at her.

"Maybe she shouldn't have-"

"Shut up." Blake interrupted.

Yang's shoulders dropped. She was accustomed to being reprimanded by Weiss, and sometimes even Ruby, but Blake always put up with her. This was the first time her partner spoke to her so harshly, and it hurt more than she liked to admit.

With a sigh, the blonde got up and strapped her gauntlets to her fists. Muttering that she was going to train by herself, she exited the room, slamming the door behind her.

* * *

 _Lie Ren. Quiet, seems to be average in a fight. There wasn't much we could gather about him._

Cinder's eyes wandered from the Scroll on her hand to the distant first year team on their cafeteria table. Indeed, she couldn't notice anything special about the boy. He only listened to what his friends were saying, not giving much input of his own.

However, she knew appearances were deceiving. He might be the team's strongest asset, even if he didn't show it.

She looked at the Scroll and began typing.

 _Dangerous. Investigate further._

The next line revealed only a little more information.

 _Nora Valkyrie. She's a force to be reckoned with. She doesn't have a lot of skill, but she doesn't need it. Her weapon's sheer destructive force is enough to make her a threat. Regarding her person – she's unpredictable. We saw her eat a dozen pancakes, then jump around the campus, and then try to forcefully adopt a wild bunny. Basically, she's crazy._

Emerald's analysis seemed to be right. Right now, Nora was standing atop a table, swinging her hammer madly while she bellowed a tale to her teammates, whose emotions ranged from embarrassment to intrigue to indifference.

 _Dangerous. Do not approach her._ Cinder typed.

 _Jaune Arc. He's a wimp._

One of Cinder's eyebrow rose. Apparently, Mercury had taken the liberty of giving his opinion on that particular subject. Still, she supposed he was correct. It was easy to see exactly what the blond boy was not a threat, though she wouldn't describe him like Mercury had.

 _Not dangerous. His friends are, however. Do not approach._

The next piece of information was about the Nikos girl, but Cinder didn't waste time reading it. She had already received an in-person analysis about her from her colleagues. She was already sure Pyrrha would present an obstacle to their plans, no matter how strong the rest of her team was.

Cinder turned off the Scroll, then looked at her untouched plate. It had rice, beans, meat, fried eggs- a meal she rarely had the chance to enjoy in her life, something everyone at Beacon took for granted.

 _I'm not hungry._ She thought bitterly. _And I don't have time for this._

With discontent lining her face, she stood and walked out of the cafeteria.

* * *

As Cinder walked through the halls of the dormitory, she couldn't help but hope her job ended soon. Something about Beacon bothered her, but she couldn't put her finger on what exactly. She did recognize, however, that the anxious feeling increased whenever she observed the students, together, going about their lives free of doubts and worries.

She shook her head, as if to set her mind straight. This was just another task, and though it was taking longer than most, nothing about it should warrant a different treatment. She would work with her _colleagues_ , execute her part perfectly, and move on to the next job.

When she arrived at her room, she laid her hand on the doorknob, but it made a screaking noise and refused to turn. Assuming it was just rusty, she tried to open the door again, but it didn't budge. Mild annoyance showed as she gritted her teeth.

"Mercury. Emerald." She called evenly "You _locked_ the door?"

They had made a strict arrangement to not do that, except when they were all in the room, plotting. Keeping themselves locked twenty-four hours would draw unwanted attention.

A minute passed, and no one opened the door for her.

" _Mercury._ " Cinder raised her tone, letting her anger edge on her voice subtly.

As if on cue, a yelp sounded from inside the room.

"Mercury!" She heard Emerald whisper "Cinder's there!"

"Well…" The boy responded awkwardly "We're fucked."

Cinder narrowed her eyes and pushed at the door, forcing it open with brute strength. She strode inside the room and turned the lights on. Mercury was standing in the middle of it, his hair untidy, with both thumbs raised innocently. Behind him was Emerald, desperately trying to put on a shirt.

"You two were…" The raven-haired woman said "Start thinking of an excuse, a _good_ one."

"…I was showing Mercury my battle scars?" Emerald suggested nervously.

Cinder stared at them fixedly.

"We were having sex." Mercury admitted, losing his composure under her examination.

"Thank you. At least you have the decency of being honest." She stated coldly "I hope I don't have to explain how… angry, I am about this."

"We're sorry, Cinder." Emerald muttered "This won't happen again."

"Good. We have a mission. You'll have time for enjoying each other after we finish it."

Mercury and Emerald shared looks of relief. They had expected a much worse reaction. Although Cinder was technically their colleague, she mostly felt their boss. A very strict, unforgiving boss.

"Moving past this incident…" Cinder spoke again "What have you found out about the redhead?"

"Pyrrha Nikos?" Emerald asked confusedly "We've already given you all we know about her."

"Not Nikos. I meant the one from yesterday; the redhead who slipped out of the dance and confronted me."

Emerald's face paled.

"We don't have anything on her yet." She said.

"Do you know her _name_ , at least?" Cinder demanded.

"No." Mercury admitted "We were occupied."  
He and his partner took a step back, preparing for the other's rage. Cinder stood still, looking at them with an undecipherable expression. After half a minute, she shook her head in defeat and turned towards the door.

"You know what?" She exclaimed "I'll leave you two alone. Have your _fun_. Clearly, I need to be far away for some time so you'll actually do something of use later."

"Cinder?" Emerald called dubiously.

The raven-haired woman had sounded very out of character in that moment. Never in the many years they had known each other had Emerald heard Cinder say anything with so much frustration. Maybe she was reading too much into the situation, but she even sounded hurt.

"I'll be at the campus." Cinder said "Do _not_ come after me."

Then she walked past the doorway and left with heavy steps.

"That was weird." Emerald stated after a few seconds.

"She sounded really upset." Mercury agreed. A grin formed on his face "Maybe she wanted a threesome?"

"I will pretend I didn't hear that."

* * *

"Stupid Yang!"

Ruby kicked a rock across the school campus, grumbling under her breath. She wasn't really angry at her sister; she never truly was. But the previous night had left her confused and, in the absence of anyone else more experienced, she had expected Yang to offer some advice. She should have figured the blonde would just laugh at her discomfort.

She wondered briefly if Weiss would give any helpful input. After a moment of consideration, she came to the conclusion that the heiress would just express her outrage at the criminal's actions, and berate her for letting her guard down.

Blake would probably be her best resource, but the thought of having a talk about romance with her left Ruby with a sense of dread. She knew the faunus had an understanding of that topic, but maybe she would be frustrated by having to speak about it when she had more serious matter to think about. The last thing Ruby wanted was for Blake to treat her like an annoying child.

"Stupid criminal!" The redhead muttered bitterly.

What left her most confused wasn't the act itself, or why the stranger had done it… Ruby had to admit, to herself at least, that she hadn't exactly _disliked_ the kiss. She wanted to chalk it up to her inexperience – maybe the woman was a terrible kisser but she didn't know any better – but she couldn't.

"Stupid… hormones!"

She closed her eyes angrily and shut her fists. She needed to control herself. A Huntress never let her emotions get to her head, in or out of the battlefield. If she let her current state build up, it would reflect badly on her grades, her combat efficiency, and even her friendships.

She resolved to go back to her room and forget about the matter entirely. If Yang made a joke about the kiss, she would retort with another. If Weiss or Blake said anything about it, she would answer appropriately, but not give them reason to worry. Time would solve her problem.

Before she could make her decision concrete, however, she slammed against someone and fell to the ground. Ruby opened her eyes and rubbed her head. In front of her was a raven-haired girl, on the ground too.

"I'm sorry!" Ruby yelled embarrassedly "Let me help you!"

Tapping into her Semblance, she darted up and neared the other girl, bringing her to her feet. The stranger blinked confusedly, then looked at her. Some emotion sparked in her eyes, but Ruby couldn't figure out what it was.

"Oh, I know you!" Ruby realized "You're an exchange student from Haven, right? I met you and your teammates when I bumped into you at a hallway."

"Yes. It seems you have the tendency of not looking where you're going."

Ruby lowered her head shamefully. The other girl inclined her head to the side and smiled tentatively.

"I'm sorry. I was just upset about the crash." She said "I wasn't taking care either. My thoughts were… elsewhere."

"Oh, okay. Do you need any help?" The redhead blurted out compulsively "My name is Ruby, by the way."

"…Cinder."

The girl from Haven seemed confused.

"Is there something wrong?" Ruby inquired worriedly "Maybe if you tell me, I can help."

"Oh- no, there's nothing wrong." Cinder stated, frowning "You are just so… so quick to offer help. I'm not used to that."

"Huh. My uncle taught me to always help people, even if they didn't ask for it." The redhead told "I think the majority of people don't do that, though, which is kind of sad."

"It is sad, indeed."

Cinder stared at her intently. Ruby gave her a tentative smile and joined her hands behind her back, feeling a bit disturbed by how attentive she was being.

"W-Well, I'll be going, then." Ruby said nervously "I'll see you around, I guess."

Cinder's eyes widened as the younger girl turned to leave.

"Wait!" She called.

Ruby gave her a confused look. Cinder frowned, realizing she had nothing to say to her. The word had just flied out of her mouth, unbidden. She reprimanded herself mentally for her lack of control.

"Do you need any help?" She finally said.

"Oh, no. I don't need anything." Ruby smiled "Thanks for asking, though!"

Cinder tapped one foot anxiously against the grass.

 _She can't leave. I need to find out more about her… So I can determine if she'll be a threat._

"Actually, I do need something." She lied "I was going to get a late lunch for myself, but… I'm afraid I don't have any money."

"But the cafeteria serves food free of charge." Ruby objected.

"Not to us. Since we're outsiders, we need to pay."

 _I'm digging myself into a hole._ Cinder thought irritably. _There's no way she'll believe that._

"Oh, okay. I'll take you to the cafeteria and get your lunch. Since I study here, they won't charge me." Ruby said proudly, as if she had had the brightest idea in history.

 _Or she will_.

"Thank you." Cinder said, smiling without wanting to "You are very kind."

"Hey, that's what friends are for: helping each other."

* * *

"Here it is!" Ruby declared victoriously "Rice, beans, meat! Everything a Huntress needs to keep a healthy body and mind!"

She put the plate down in front of Cinder, who was sitting behind a table in the cafeteria. The raven-haired girl looked at the food and inclined her head to the side curiously as she noticed one particular item.

"Cookies?"

"You don't like cookies?" Ruby asked, as if the answer could change her whole perception on Cinder.

"I like cookies." Cinder assured, though she didn't _particularly_. It just seemed safer to answer positively "I was only wondering why you put them with the actual food."

"Hey! Cookies are very nutritious!"

In a blur, Ruby took one of the round cookies and stuffed it in her mouth, devouring it in a matter of seconds. After she was done, she sat down and mumbled a pleasant sound.

Cinder was surprised she didn't have to ask for Ruby to stay with her. She would have insisted she do that if she started to leave, but apparently the redhead was so friendly, Cinder would have no trouble at all obtaining information about her.

"So, Ruby…" She began innocently after taking a few bites of her meal "How old are you? You look much younger than everyone else at Beacon."

"I'm fifteen and three quarters, thank you." Ruby responded proudly "Two years younger than the age of entrance for this academy."

"Impressive." Cinder remarked "How come you're here so early?"

"I kicked some criminal's butts in the beginning of this year. They were stealing Dust from a defenseless shopkeeper. I was doing pretty well, but then this… mage woman showed up in a helicopter and gave me a hard time." Ruby said "Miss Goodwitch showed up and saved me. After that, headmaster Ozpin talked with me and offered an early spot at his school."

Cinder's fork stopped in the space between her plate and her mouth. How hadn't she remembered something so important? It wasn't every day that a scythe-wielding teenager girl thwarted her plans to steal Dust. She had met with Ruby two more times since then, and still hadn't recognized her.

"Cinder?" Ruby called worriedly "Something wrong?"

Cinder blinked and noticed she had been staring at the redhead with a blank expression. She coughed and smiled as if nothing had happened.

"I was just thinking about how powerful you must be to be blessed with this opportunity." She said.

"Well, I am great, but I have a lot to learn." Ruby murmured.

She had a slight blush on her cheeks. A lot of people had praised her in the past; Ozpin, some of her teachers, Yang, her father… But never someone so close to her age and whom she had no close relationship with.

"I'm the leader of my team, actually." She informed, feeling very bold now "Even my older sister is under my command! B-but they're all great! Yang's a very nice person. She's my sister. Weiss can be an ice queen at times, but she's a good friend. Blake's… oh, she's great!"

Cinder couldn't help but smile at her companion's excited words. She had a feeling Ruby meant each of her words with profound honesty.

"What about your teammates?" Ruby asked curiously.

"Emerald and Mercury?" Cinder focused on her food "They're capable."

"Capable?" The redhead repeated, much quieter now "You sound really lonely…"

"We're teammates. I don't need to be their friends; and, sincerely, I don't want to."

"Everybody needs friends!" Ruby refuted stubbornly.

Before Cinder could protest, she had risen to her feet. She had a sinking feeling in her chest, fearing Ruby was going to leave so suddenly.

"I'm going to get a plate full of cookies for us _both_." Ruby decided "You're going to have a good time, and then you'll notice having friends is not as bad as you think."

She darted away, leaving Cinder staring at the empty seat in front of her silently.

 _A threat_. She thought bitterly.

Ruby appeared again, substituting Cinder's plate with another filled with cookies. She immediately took three and ate them in quick succession. Cinder stared in bewilderment, then jumped slightly when the younger girl burped.

"Oops." Ruby apologized "Take one!"

Hesitantly, Cinder reached forward and took one of the cookies, then risked a small bite. The taste was surprisingly good; she wondered if the kitchen staff made them themselves.

"See? They're great!" Ruby exclaimed "Now, how about yo-" Her speech was cut off by a burp.

This time, Ruby's cheeks turned a scarlet shade and she sunk in her seat, as if she wanted to disappear. Cinder stared, and after a few seconds of silence, started to laugh.

* * *

Mercury and Emerald woke up as soon as the door of their room opened. They shared a look of panic and covered themselves with a bed sheet, pretending to be asleep still.

"Hello, Mercury, Emerald." Cinder's voice reached them "Did you have a nice afternoon?" She giggled.

Emerald looked at her partner, eyes wide. Cinder had giggled.

"Come _on_ , I know you two are awake." The raven-haired girl chimed as she lied down on her own bed "Are you too tired to talk? I expected that from Mercury, but not _you_ , Emerald."

The pair's terror grew even more.

"Since you're so _rude_ as to not ask me how my day was, I will answer of my own initiative." Cinder said "I had a wonderful, productive time investigating that mysterious redhead. Her name is Ruby Rose, and she is not a threat. Do not approach her."

She hummed a song under her breath as she took a magazine from her bag and began reading it.

Mercury leaned slowly towards Emerald's ear, and in the lowest tone possible, he whispered:

"We're dead."

* * *

Ruby whistled as she entered her room. She closed the door behind her and turned, only to find each one of her teammates staring at her from their respective beds. Her whistling slowly faded to silence.

"Did something happen?" She asked slowly "Is there lipstick on my cheek again?"

Weiss and Blake shared a look of intrigue. Their young leader's flustered feelings had turned to acceptance faster than expected. Yang took the joke a lot more seriously, falling to her feet and nearing her sister carefully.

"Do you want to talk about it?" She asked gently "The kiss?"

"Nope." Ruby looked at her as if she was being very silly "It was just a kiss."

She jumped to her bed and put on her headphones, immediately blasting her ears with music.

Yang looked at her other teammates in search of help. Blake smirked amusedly, then went back to reading a novel. Weiss glared at her coldly.

"You're her sister." She remarked "How am I supposed to understand that dolt better than you?"

Yang shook her head in defeat. _She just_ had _to begin acting like a normal teenager._ _Stupid hormones_.

* * *

 **Holy (insert appropriate term here)!  
**

 **This story already has 50+ follows and 25+ favorites, in one chapter! Either it's the Falling Petals appeal, or... I don't know, why did so many people like this so much? I mean, I'm really happy about this immediate success, but it is kinda bittersweet when I have a two months old, twenty chapters and ongoing story already surpassed by this.**

 **Anyway, I don't want to sound ungrateful. I really appreciate all the support!**

 **This is the part where I would answer the reviews, but... There were nine, and if I did, it would just be really repetitive. So thanks for the reviews, and to answer Kyub's question (though I already did in a PM), there will be one more ship aside from Falling Petals. Which? Oh, what a mystery. *everyone who read _CoS_ shakes their heads slowly***

 **Cookie-sized thanks to everyone who reviewed, followed and favorited _Falling_ _Roses_ _Burn Brighter_!**

 **-Zeroan**


	3. Warming up

"And that is why you should never mix yellow and blue Dust."

Weiss put down her marker pen and turned around with a proud smirk. Behind her was a white board filled with carefully written annotations, schemes and drawings. It had been a lot of work for one person, but she thought it would be more than worth it if it got her teammates through their exams.

As always, her expectations were a bit too optimistic. Her sight first fell on Yang, who was staring at the board blankly. Weiss' eyes narrowed and she snapped her fingers.

"Ah!" The blonde screamed, jumping in her seat "What?!"

"…You didn't pay any attention to anything I said, did you?" Weiss asked emotionlessly.

"…No?" Yang smiled sheepishly "Sorry. Look, all I gotta know is which elements are represented by which color of Dust!"

"Oh, really?" The heiress put her hands on her hips testily.

"Yes, really! I don't have to worry about anything beyond that. The professors made it very clear that the only subject they will demand of us are the elements."

Weiss groaned angrily. Yang could be surprisingly practical and smart when she wanted to be, and the heiress couldn't find any flaw in her argument.

"Blake?" Weiss called "A little help here?"

The cat faunus perked up in her seat and turned to look at her partner.

"Weiss is right, Yang." Blake said "Even if you don't use Dust, you still should know everything you know about it. What if we were on a mission and you had to prevent a Dust explosion from going off, for example?"

"I'd just have Weiss take care of that." Yang replied simply.

"What if she wasn't with us, then?"

The blonde crossed her arms stubbornly, but conceded under her breath. Weiss smiled gratefully to Blake.

"At least one of you appreciates my work." The heiress said.

"Well, my winning argument did have one big flaw." Blake noted "We'd be lost without you, Dust explosion or none."

Weiss hid her surprise at the remark, as she had been taught to do since she was a child. She had rarely ever heard Blake compliment someone so openly, and had never been the one being praised. Despite their differences, or perhaps exactly because of them, she felt really honored.

Before the heiress could respond tactfully, a _beep_ and a giggle drew her attention to her young leader. Ruby was sitting cross-legged on her chair, looking down at her Scroll and tapping disturbingly fast.

"Are you… texting?" Weiss asked "During _my_ class?"

"N-No!" Ruby squealed while pathetically trying to hide her Scroll "I wasn't texting!"

"Yes, you were!" Her partner said sternly "Give me your phone, Ruby Rose."

Yang buried her face in her hands to muffle her laughter, and even Blake had to look away and bit her lip to hide her amusement. It was just too easy to picture Ruby and Weiss as student and teacher, respectively, even if their real hierarchy dictated the contrary.

The redhead lowered her head in shame and offered her phone. Weiss emitted a soft _humph_ and took it. Her air of authority was ruined by her looking down at the screen curiously.

"Who's Cinder?" She asked sharply.

"She's a friend!" Ruby protested "What, are you going to forbid me of having those?"

"Maybe I will, if it means you'll pay attention to my tutoring you!" Weiss replied "No one, be them friend, family, lover, should ever get in the way of us learning. We are in Beacon to study and become the best Huntress we can be, and I will not allow such a silly distraction to get in the way of-"

Another beep echoed in the room, and in the blink of an eye, Weiss was handling her own Scroll. As she looked at its screen, her lips widened, revealing a smile so happy, it scared her teammates.

"Neptune calls to me." She said evenly after putting the phone away "I must go meet with him."

"Wait, what?" Blake blinked "You suddenly have a date?"

" _No_." The heiress looked away embarrassedly "It's just a _meeting_."

"What about your speech about how important studying is?" The faunus pressed.

"T-that doesn't apply to me!" Weiss shrieked "This session will be resumed tomorrow! Goodbye!"

The white-haired girl left so fast, one could assume she possessed the same Semblance as her partner. Once she was gone, Ruby retrieved her Scroll, which Weiss had dropped on the floor in her haste to read Neptune's message.

"Well, I'll be off too!" The redhead said.

"Where are you going?" Yang asked curiously.

"I promised Cinder I'd show her the rest of the school. Apparently no one gave her a tour when she got here." Ruby explained "Have a good day, sis, Blake!"

Once they were alone, Yang crossed her arms and frowned.

"Do you know this Cinder?" She questioned.

"No." Blake answered.

The blonde looked at her partner and raised an eyebrow. She knew very well the faunus wasn't one for long responses, but this one was unusually short, even for her standards. Blake had reached Ren's level of quietness with that sentence.

"What's bothering you, Blaky?" Yang asked worriedly.

"Nothing." Blake answered quietly "…What's the deal with Neptune, anyway?"

Yang's chin fell as realization hit her.

 _No way._ She thought. _This isn't happening. I'm just imagining things. Blake doesn't mean anything by it. Really?_ Weiss _? Blake's more likely to have a crush on a lamppost than her._

"I mean, he's not even that good-looking." The faunus said, a little louder this time "I don't know why Weiss likes him so much."

 _Yep._ Yang shook her head in wonderment. _The world is officially upside down._

* * *

When Cinder had contacted Ruby to arrange some time for them to spend together, she had been firm in her resolve to obtain as much information from her as possible. Her team's strengths and weaknesses, their families and close friends, their pasts… All the things that she needed to know to make her mission go as smoothly as possible.

As the day went on and Ruby lead her around the school, though, Cinder found her initial intentions fading away quickly. It was too easy to get lost in the redhead's happy babbling and spirited mannerisms, so much that Cinder couldn't stop herself from becoming actually interested in what she was talking about.

She tried to reason with herself _why_ she was being so… unlike herself. Cinder wasn't, and most importantly, didn't see herself as, someone who indulged herself with the little things of life, or who put her happiness and satisfaction on the hands of others, or who _laughed_. She was repulsed by these kinds of people, yet for some strange reason, she enjoyed Ruby's company.

It didn't make any sense to her, and that only made her work more for the answer.

"So, Ruby…" Cinder said evenly as they made their way back to the dormitories, after they had explored the whole perimeter of the school "Is there anything else you can show me?"

"Nope. That's all there is to the school." Ruby answered, then inclined her head to the side with a look of wonderment "Well, I didn't show you the janitor's lounge, but I don't think you wanna see that." She shuddered "Trust me, it isn't a nice sight."

"It really doesn't sound good." The raven-haired girl agreed, then giggled softly.

She looked away to the side and covered her mouth. Ruby looked at her discreetly as they walked, noting her behavior and finding it… she couldn't quite place how she felt about it, actually.

Cinder wasn't that much older than her, at eighteen years, but she was already like a fully realized young woman. It wasn't only her appearance that reflected that, but also her personality. Ruby was really intrigued by how differently she talked when compared to her friends. There was a conviction in her words, and as she said them, each one was full of meaning.

And then, she would giggle or laugh or smile, and immediately pretend she hadn't. It should look awkward, but it wasn't. Ruby found it… Found it…

She just couldn't understand how she felt about it.

"You shouldn't hide like that, you know?" The redhead said abruptly.

"What?" Cinder asked confusedly.

"You know… When you want to laugh or smile, just do it." Ruby explained "There's nothing wrong with being happy! Besides, it's really nice to see you do these things!"

"…What do you mean by _nice_?"

Ruby joined her hands behind her back and looked down at her feet. She tried to hide it, but Cinder could see the crimson shade her cheeks had taken.

"I mean you look cute when you laugh, okay?" The redhead mumbled.

"Oh." Cinder said, not sure how to respond "Well. You… also look cute when you laugh. Thank you."

Ruby lifted her head and smiled. Slowly, Cinder responded in kind, resisting the urge to hide once again.

"I am glad we could spend time together, Ruby." The raven-haired girl spoke, not fully considering what she wanted to say "You're a good friend. Do you think we could do this again sometime? I promise to laugh and smile some more, if you want me to."

"Yeah! That would be awesome!" Ruby answered ecstatically "But… I think it might take a while. We're having exams, and then my team will go on a field mission…"

"That's fine." Cinder said "I can wait as long as needed if it's for you."

The redhead blushed slightly, then gave her a quick hug. With a wave of her hand and a smile, Ruby broke from their path towards her dormitory.

Cinder stopped in her tracks, observing as her friend walked away. It was only minutes after she had resumed walking and reached her own dormitory, that she realized she hadn't yet undone her smile.

* * *

"Hello, Team RWBY!"

Three pairs of eyes widened with terror as Weiss strode into the dormitory room, her voice trailing musically. There was a light hop in her steps and a wide smile between her lips.

"Weiss?" Ruby asked fearfully, poking her eyes beyond the edge of her beg "Is that you?"

"Yes, dear Ruby, it is I, Weiss Schnee!" The heiress exclaimed "I have an announcement to make."

The redhead sat up again, her curiosity winning over her fear. Yang stared at her white-haired teammate expectantly, though she had already guessed what the announcement was about. Blake didn't look away from her current book, but her breath stilled subtly.

"I have a date." Weiss said.

"…That's the announcement?" Ruby asked.

"Yes, you dolt!" The heiress glared at her partner.

"Okay."

Weiss shook her head in disbelief.

"I'm your partner, you should be happy for me!" She protested.

"Good luck with that. Ruby's as interested in romance as you are in roller coasters." Yang said " _I_ am happy for you, Weissy. I assume Neptune is the lucky guy?"

"Yes, he is." Weiss confirmed happily "It's not like there's anyone else I'd be interested in at Beacon."

She turned to look at Blake, hoping for a reaction similar to Yang's, but the faunus was completely immersed in her novel. Weiss shrugged and sat down on her bed, then started to remove her boots.

"Congratulations, Weiss."

The heiress looked up again, surprised to hear Blake's voice. The brunette hadn't torn her eyes from her book.

"I thought you weren't listening." Weiss commented.

"I was listening very carefully." Blake said "When's the date?"

"We settled for the weekend after our mission." The white-haired girl told "That way I won't have to worry about studying and preparing."

"Good thinking." The faunus stated "I hope it goes well."

Weiss smiled lightly.

"Thank you, Blake." She said, and returned to removing her boots.

"No problem." Blake muttered, turning back the pages of her book to reread the chapter she had gotten to when Weiss had arrived.

She tried hard, but couldn't focus on the words anymore.

* * *

A week later, the team walked outside the school after taking their mission. Mountain Glenn was far away, but they would reach it in hours by flying. Still, they could take days to come back to their normal schedules.

They took their times saying their farewells to team JNPR and Sun and Neptune. Weiss in particular chatted for a long time with the blue-haired boy, which had Jaune almost screaming in frustration and Yang patting Blake softly on her should, much to the faunus' puzzlement.

Weiss, however, was very annoyed by Ruby's reaction. The redhead was constantly poking at her, demanding she hurry up. Eventually, her sister had to drag her away while uttering apologies.

"You really are clueless, Ruby." Yang said with wonderment.

"What?" Ruby frowned "I know Weiss likes Neptune, I just wanna go on our mission already."

"Ruby, sometimes you like someone so much, you just can't help but do this kind of stuff. Weiss is no exception to the rule." The blonde explained.

Ruby opened her mouth to protest further, but a hand poked her on the shoulder. The redhead turned around and saw Cinder, who was smiling amusedly.

"What are you so anxious about?" The raven-haired girl asked.

"I just wanna get going, but Weiss won't stop talking to Neptune!" Ruby exclaimed.

"Well, romance is a tricky thing." Cinder stated, trying to be helpful.

She noticed Yang looking at her confusedly, and her smile disappeared immediately. Yang didn't let that escape her attention, but didn't show any reaction to it.

"Hey, I'm Yang. Ruby's sister." The blonde introduced herself "I suppose you're Cinder?"

"Indeed." Cinder said "Ruby told me a lot about you. It's good to finally meet you in person."

"Ruby has been very secretive about you." Yang looked at her sister accusingly "But it's nice meet you too, Cinder."

The raven-haired girl nodded slightly.

"I hope your mission goes well. I have to go now." She began to walk away, but then turned and looked at Ruby "And don't forget about our plans!"

"Yep! Never forgot!" Ruby responded happily.

When Cinder finally left, Yang looked at her sister with suspicion.

"What… plans are those, Ruby?" She questioned.

"We agreed to have an afternoon together again sometime." Ruby explained "I'm looking forward to it, and so is she."

"Oh… So, you have a date, is what you're saying?"

The younger girl's face paled.

"N-no!" She refuted "I-I mean, if it's a d-date between _friends_ , yeah! But not, like… Like _gross_ dates."

"Really, Ruby? Gross dates?" Yang chuckled "How old are you again?"

"Old enough to know what butt touching means." Ruby replied, pouting afterwards.

They returned to their teammates, and found the same predicament as before. Now, however, Neptune seemed to be slowly edging away from Weiss in fear, even as she continued talking, and Blake was pinching her forehead impatiently.

"Oh. Weiss is… still talking." Yang said worriedly "Is she… okay?"

" _Now_ you see my point?" Ruby crossed her arms and shook her head.

After five more minutes, one of them finally broke. Blake mumbled something venomous under her breath and threw her pistol in Weiss's direction. Her ribbon wrapped around the heiress, whose expression became a mix of confusion and horror as she was pulled away from her future date. Neptune took no time walking away hurriedly.

"Seriously, Weiss." Blake deadpanned as she unwrapped her teammate "Hold on until your date, please."

"But Neptune…" Weiss whimpered.

The faunus patted her on the head comfortingly, then looked away with barely concealed sadness. Nobody seemed to notice except for Yang, who shook her head slowly.

 _Blake likes Weiss and Ruby has a date._ She thought. _Now, the world is officially upside down, inside out._

* * *

 **Madness, I say. But of course, this is a Zeroan fanfic, so it would be madness perhaps if there wasn't Monochrome. Just to clarify and alleviate some worries some of you lovely people might have, Falling Petals will always be the main focus of this story. Monochrome is only one side-story/element/plot/thingy/whatever. And I promise *CoS spoiler beware* Blake won't lose any arms this time *end CoS spoiler*.  
**

 **And I'd like to take this space to say something...**

 **Holy shit I love you people. So much support! I would give each and every one of you a thankful glance if I could. (I'm a very warm person)**

 **Upside-down-inside-out-thanks to everyone who reviewed, followed and favorited _Falling Roses Burn Brighter_!**

 **-Zeroan**


	4. Heat of battle

It wasn't often that Cinder got visibly flustered, but when she did, Emerald always made sure to keep the occasion as a precious memory.

Most girls their age, when worrying about clothing, would care about how good they would look in them or if they were appropriate according to the current fashion… Cinder, instead, was cursing at her clothes because they wouldn't accept her Dust. She was currently in her fourth attempt, and all the previous three had resulted in explosions and ashes.

"Got it." The raven-haired girl said, nodding with satisfaction.

She took a step back to examine the Haven uniform and smiled lightly. One of Emerald's eyebrows rose slowly as she took notice of her colleague's happiness. Cinder looked at her and instantly her smile faded.

The uniform blew up, filling the room with smoke and an acrid smell. Emerald rushed to the window and opened it, letting the foul odor out. Cinder's anger showed as two flaming fists amidst the smoke.

A few moments later, Mercury opened the door to the room and stepped in. He swung his hand in front of his face in an effort to clear his vision. It wasn't until two minutes had passed that the three could see each other clearly.

Mercury was amused by the situation, while Emerald was coughing and glaring at Cinder in accusation. The raven-haired girl was sitting on her bed with an emotionless expression, though her crossed arms indicated that she was still upset.

"I discovered something interesting today!" Mercury said triumphantly.

"That's a change." Emerald replied under her breath.

"Well, at least I was working while you were watching Cinder mess with her clothes."

They glared at each other, which made Cinder roll her eyes with annoyance. With a snap of her fingers, she called Mercury's attention to her.

"What did you discover?" She asked.

"Jaune Arc wasn't _actually_ accepted by Beacon. He bought fake transcripts and lied his way into this academy." Mercury said.

"Wow, the staff here really is a bunch of incompetent idiots." Emerald noted.

"Hmm. I doubt that is all there is to his story." Cinder said "As foolish as some of the teachers here are, Ozpin is an experienced and wise headmaster. He wouldn't let this Arc boy stay without good reason."

"So… Jaune Arc is a threat." Emerald assumed "Which means _everyone_ in team Juniper is a threat."

Mercury raised a finger, as if he still had more information to impart.

"Their mission schedule is little delayed compared to the other first year teams. This could be the best opportunity for us to get rid of them." He looked at Cinder expectantly.

She looked down at her lap for a few seconds, then shook her head.

"No. We aren't touching them."

"What?!" Emerald exclaimed "That's ridiculous-"

"This is _my_ choice." Cinder interrupted, her voice dropping to a menacing tone.

The green-haired thief looked away and nodded in shame.

"If a first year team died so suddenly, it would raise a lot of suspicion. Security would be upgraded; the school staff would be changed… And worst of all, people might discover we aren't actual exchange students." Cinder explained calmly "Besides, I believe it is best to not worry about them. Their safety might be better than their elimination, even without my previous reasoning."

"And by that, you mean…?" Mercury questioned.

"Team Juniper has a significant bond with team RWBY. If any of these eight were to be harmed, we'd have the remaining seven revenge-fueled friends to fight." Cinder said "Staying away from them is our safest approach to the issue."

"I thought you said team RWBY wasn't a threat?" Emerald remembered confusedly.

Cinder looked at her fixedly, but refused to give a verbal response. Emerald shrugged and gave Mercury a significant look. He smiled and walked closer.

Cinder groaned and stepped out of the room.

* * *

When they had signed up for a mission on Mountain Glenn, the team had expected a few days spent in fear and silence. As soon as Oobleck had been revealed as their overlooking teacher, that expectation had been changed and shattered.

The man had so much energy in him, half of the girls were wondering if what was in his cup was coffee or something else entirely. Weiss was too proper to consider her teachers to be capable of using any kinds of shady substances, while Ruby had only the faintest idea that those existed.

"So… Is it spiked?" Yang whispered to her partner "Or like… Pure, liquid drugs?"

"I haven't heard of the later." Blake responded in the same tone of voice "But I wouldn't doubt it."

Oobleck had been examining the corner of a fallen building, but when he heard the faint whispering, he immediately turned around and dashed to them. Yang suddenly found herself leaning back as the teacher stared at her directly.

"Don't. Speak." He said "There are Grimm around here."

"Sure thing, doc." Yang raised her thumbs cheerily "Got the message!"

Oobleck made a little _humph_ and stepped back, then looked around quickly. After a few seconds of that, he looked at Ruby and nodded.

"Okay, girls, we will separate into three groups." He relayed "Two of these groups will be determined by partnership."

Weiss groaned mentally, while the rest seemed to be indifferent.

"I will stay with Zwei." Oobleck determine, petting the dog at his side distractedly "I must examine these ruins. Meanwhile, you four will reduce the number of Grimm on our immediate perimeter. We will meet again, in this very spot, in two hours' time!"

As he darted away and Zwei followed him, Yang blinked in confusion. She had barely been able to understand two words out of his frenzied speech.

"What are we supposed to do again?" She asked.

"Go, Team RWBY!" Ruby squealed.

She grabbed Weiss' wrist and ran away. The heiress extended her free hand towards her other teammates in a silent plea for help. Blake chuckled with amusement and patted Yang on the shoulder.

"Come on, let's kill some Grimm." She said.

"Oh! That's what we're doing?" Yang smiled " _Finally_ ¸ some fun!"

* * *

"Okay, Weiss, this calls for Operation Red Snow."

"…What was that one again?"

"I run, you cover me?"

"Ah! Get started, then."

Ruby dashed out of an alley and immediately drew the attention of two dozen Ursas. Without any hesitation, she ran towards them, tapping into her Semblance to reach incredible speed.

Two monsters' heads were sliced clean from their bodies from her first dash, and then she turned around, for a moment vulnerable. One of the Grimm leaped at her, but a glyph appeared between it and the redhead, releasing an electric torrent that turned the beast to ashes.

Ruby dashed again, eliminating more of the Beowolves, with the remaining ones suffering from the same fate when they tried to strike her when she was slowing down. In a matter of minutes, they were all dead.

Weiss approached her partner, smiling proudly.

"Have I told I'm sorry for ever doubting your capabilities?" She asked.

"You could say it more often." Ruby said cheerfully "High five?"

The heiress rolled her eyes, but complied anyway, slapping the palm of her hand against her partner's. The two resumed their job, walking along the streets of the abandoned city in search of more Grimm.

"So…" The redhead said "You got a date."

"Excuse me?" Weiss frowned "I thought you didn't care about these things."

"Just because I like guns, killing Grim and cookies above everything else, doesn't mean I don't care about romance like everyone does." Ruby retorted, sounding a little hurt.

"Sorry. That was inconsiderate of me." The white-haired girl apologized "We should be focusing on our job. Why did you remind me of my date, anyway?"

Ruby shrugged and looked away, not sure she should answer honestly. After a few moments of consideration, she decided it would be better to give Weiss some honest counsel, even if she got angry at her for doing that, than lying and seeing her partner getting potentially hurt later.

"Well… I'm just not sure Neptune is the right guy for you, you know?" She said awkwardly "I mean, you two have known each other for… a month?"

"So what?" Weiss glared at her "That doesn't mean anything! I know him well enough by now."

"Really? What's his favorite color, then?" Ruby challenged.

"Blue, of course!"

The redhead frowned and looked at the ground. _I didn't think this through._

"And what right do you have of questioning _my_ romantic life when you're going on a date with someone you have even spent even less time with?" Weiss asked pointedly "I haven't even met this Cinder person yet."

"I-it's not a date!" Ruby shrieked "It's a friendly meeting! And you're not my mom!"

"Ooh! Getting defensive, huh?" The heiress taunted "Little Ruby's in love?"

Ruby crossed her arms and looked away, grumbling under her breath.

"I'm never giving you romantic advice again."

* * *

After another hour of eliminating more Grimm, the group rejoined and, under Oobleck's orders, found a building to use as a resting place for the night. Throughout the day, the professor had made sure to question them about their motivations, and answering him had been more exhausting than slaying any giant monster.

For a few moments, the fact that Ruby hadn't suffered under the same scrutiny had annoyed Yang, but she had been quick to accept the reality that her sister was much more certain about her job than her. Blake's and Weiss' worries had also helped to alleviate her own. They were all Huntresses-in-training, after all, even if they had such different pasts.

The blonde had been on watch for a good while when she heard faint footsteps behind her, and then Blake sat beside her, seemingly serene, as always.

"Not your turn, kitty." Yang said softly "Yours is after Weiss."

"I couldn't sleep." Blake shrugged "I'll take both of your turns."

"Meh." The blonde refused "You worried about professor Oobleck's questioning, or… something else?"

The faunus gave her a sly glance, as if she didn't understand exactly what her partner was talking about. Yang wouldn't be fooled so easily, though.

"A certain heiress, perhaps?" She teased.

"No." Blake said instantly.

"Jeez, you took that really seriously." Yang giggled "You know, for a stealthy ex-terrorist, you're pretty obvious, Blake. I think even Ruby has noticed."

"I'm being serious, Yang." The brunette warned "I don't want to talk about it. Most importantly, I _don't_ want you to even joke about it in front of Weiss."

"You're acting like you're ten years old."

Blake's irritation grew at that sentence, but it was soon replaced by an expression of sadness.

"Listen, Yang. I'm not pretending to not like Weiss for childish reasons." She said "There's just no way we could be together, okay? She's a Schnee, I'm a faunus. The best I can hope for is friendship."

"Sorry." Yang muttered "I didn't think about that. I won't intrude in your business anymore. But if you need a shoulder, you know…?"

"Thanks." Blake smiled "How about you go to sleep for now?"

Yang stood up and turned around to return to her sleeping bag, only to find Weiss soundly asleep and one missing person.

"Hey… Where's Ruby?"

* * *

"Remember: this is _not_ an essential part of the mission. At the first sign of trouble, or _risk_ of trouble, we're leaving." Cinder lectured as she walked out of Beacon's dormitory complex "We'll go straight to Vale and do the deed, then-"

An alarm bell rang, coming from the city in the distance. She didn't pause, but instead hurried her steps until she could overlook the place. Mercury and Emerald settled beside her, wondering what was happening.

"You don't think…?" Emerald said.

"Sure looks like it." Mercury asserted.

"That's still days away!"

"So?" He looked at Cinder questioningly "What do we do?"

Cinder's eyes narrowed as she stared at the smoke rising from a section of the city.

"We help."

* * *

"Is everyone okay?" Ruby yelled, rubbing her eyes.

She saw her sister rising beside her, stumbling dazedly for a few seconds.

"Yep. I'm good. Hallucinated a bit, I think." Yang noted "Did anyone else see a woman in red?"

"That sounds like Ruby." Blake said, appearing by her side.

"Oh, yeah." The blonde frowned "Duh."

Weiss joined them, and together they formed a tight circle, standing back to back to repel the Grimm around them.

The first waves were taken care of with ease, them being mostly composed of minor threats like Beowolves and Boarbatusks. However, the tunnel behind them quickly became the exit of much larger Grimm, including some Death Stalkers and King Taijitus.

The team found themselves separated as they had to take care of the bigger monsters individually. As Yang fought with an Ursa Major, she saw team Juniper arrive at the scene, and smiled with relief.

Meanwhile, Weiss focused her attention at a Death Stalker. Keeping a safe distance from it, she swung her rapier through the air, sending rays of Dust towards it. The monster found itself trapped, its feet frozen to the ground.

The heiress smiled confidently and spun Myrtenaster's Dust chamber, settling for Fire so she could finish the Grimm off. A hiss behind her warned her of danger, however, and she dashed to the side.

A Taijitu's head crashed where she had been standing seconds before, sending fragments of concrete flying all around. Weiss cursed and stabbed at it, but its skin was too resilient, even against her weapon's unparalleled sharpness.

The Death Stalker broke free from the ice and surged towards her, and she distanced herself with assistance from her glyphs. She kept her cool, but recognized her tough situation; she had two large Grimm to take care of now.

When her back hit a building and the monsters finally cornered her, Blake appeared atop the Taijitu's head, attempting to slash through its hide, but she found no success. Before it could shake her away, the faunus jumped and landed in front of Weiss.

"Checkmate?" Blake suggested.

"Good choice." Weiss agreed.

The heiress stabbed the ground in front of her, sending veins of light towards her teammates. A circle of energy appeared beneath Blake, who felt power feeding into her. Suddenly, she felt as if the world was moving at a quarter of her own speed, and that if she wanted, she could tear it apart with her bare hands.

Blake gripped her dual swords and swung them in front of her, generating two purple formations of energy that sliced through the Death Stalker and the Taijitu. The faunus didn't stop, however, and kept swinging. After a few seconds, she felt the power drain away, and then the world slowed down.

She fell to her knees, breathing hard. The monster's bodies were in front of her, sliced into a hundred pieces, and were turning to smoke. Weiss appeared beside her, smiling appreciatively.

"Thanks." She said "I was in a tough spot."

"You would have figured something out." Blake shrugged.

"Of course I would." Weiss motioned to the battlefield "Now how about we get your partner out of that mess? _Seriously_ , how did she attract so many Grimm all by herself?"

* * *

"Go, now!" Cinder commanded "Kill as many Grimm as you can, and make it as flashy as possible! We can make some good out of this situation."

Emerald and Mercury nodded and dropped from the rooftop they were standing on. Cinder watched calmly as they work through dozens of Grimm with no visible effort.

She turned to watch the rest of the fight, but didn't see much of interest. She wouldn't be joining it, of course. Her powers were too unique, and her appearance might be recognized by some if she were to stand out in that mess. Emerald and Mercury could risk their positions, but she…

Her stance faltered as she saw a swirling tornado of petals course through the city plaza, leaving a bunch of Grimm behind. However, it quickly came to a halt when a barrier of the same monsters stood in its path. Ruby became visible as she swung her scythe, glaring at her foes threateningly.

 _Don't be foolish_. Cinder chastised herself mentally. _She can handle herself. It's not worth it._

The redhead executed a quarter of the beasts before they could hurt her, but by the time she was done, the rest had surrounded her against a building. Ruby growled with annoyance and aimed at the Ursas, taking care of as many as she could before they could close too much distance.

When they started to leap at her, she switched back to a melee approach, swinging Crescent Rose at them before they could touch her. However, she had no room to maneuver, which put her at a disadvantage.

A streak of fire pierced the middle of the pack, and at first Ruby thought her sister had come to help her, but then she remembered Yang couldn't manage that kind of pyrotechnic. It took her a while to recognize her, but when the flames died down, Ruby saw Cinder standing amidst the remaining Grimm.

The raven-haired girl extended her arms to her sides, forming two swords on her hands. With grace, she dashed towards a nearby Ursa, slicing through it as if it were made of butter, and carried her momentum to the next one, which fell just as easily.

Ruby's jaw dropped as she watched Cinder move through the rows of monsters, dispatching them as if she were practicing a deadly and unstoppable dance. When it was finally over, Cinder slowly turned towards the redhead amidst the smoke of the deceased Grimm.

"Did I overdo it?"

"No! No you didn't! That was so _cool_!" Ruby squealed "Is everyone from Haven as awesome as you?"

"No." Cinder smirked "I'm just that special."

Once more, Ruby squealed and hugged her newest friend.

"You're so awesome!" She exclaimed "When is our date?"

"…Date?" Cinder repeated awkwardly.

"Uh… Friendly meeting!" Ruby separated from her and coughed, trying to cover her blushing cheeks "When is our friendly meeting?"

The raven-haired girl shook her head in amusement, though the slip-up had set a few too many doubts in her mind. _Date?_ She thought. _That's… Well, if she believes that's what it will be, it means I'll get much more information out of her! Of course, that's all there is to it._

* * *

 _Today was a good day._

Yang raised her thumbs cheekily to Torchwick as he was forced inside a helicopter. The criminal seemed more offended by her taunting him than by the officers moving him along.

The blonde turned back to the other people still in the plaza, and found Blake staring disappointedly at Sun and Neptune, who were exchanging fist bumps and smiles.

"You didn't even do anything." She noted.

"Hey, we scribbled everything that happened on our police notepads!" Sun retorted "We did what our jobs dictated!"

"Well… Information is precious, I suppose." Blake conceded.

"Who even needs the police when we have Huntsmen?" Yang interrupted "You guys suck!"

Sun and Neptune pouted sadly, then nodded in agreement. Weiss walked towards them and patted Neptune on the head.

"I think you did a wonderful job!" She said.

"Thanks, Weiss!" Sun smiled cheerfully.

"I meant Neptune." The heiress's glare could have turned anyone into stone at that moment.

Yang was about to point out how Blake had pretty much saved Weiss from being eaten alive, but a sight from the corner of her eye drew her attention. Ruby walked up to them, smiling widely, with Cinder following her hesitantly.

"Hey, sis. Cinder." Yang greeted "What's up?"

"Cinder kicked Grimm butt!" Ruby told excitedly.

She started to spin and swing her arms through the air, trying to imitate Cinder's former battle technique, all the while making ridiculous noises with her mouth. The raven-haired girl watched silently, aware of Emerald and Mercury's presence.

"Seems interesting." Yang said, grabbing her sister by the shoulders to calm her down.

"It was… cool…" Ruby agreed, feeling a bit light-headed.

Nearby, Juniper watched, most of them with confusion.

"Who's that girl?" Nora asked loudly.

"Nora!" Ren said through gritted teeth "Her name is Cinder. I think Ruby's got a date with her."

"What? Ruby has a _date_?" Jaune buried his face in his hands "How come she has a date and I don't?"

Pyrrha screamed internally.

* * *

 **Woo! Plot, plot, plot.  
**

 **This chapter felt a little weird at times. There were important scenes I wanted to implement, scenes that happened during the Mountain Glenn and Breach episodes, but I really didn't feel like writing the No Brakes portions, because they would have practically no divergence from canon. I hope things didn't feel to disconnected, at least.**

 **Thanks for the warm reception for Monochrome! I was kinda scared its introduction would drive my precious readers away, but apparently you're all okay with it. Yay!**

 **RainingCookies: I wish I had the capacity to post two chapters of this story weekly too, but... I don't. Also, I feel like this fanfic works much better with this frequency. It would end too fast with quicker updates. Also, I won't lessen DoS's frequency to up FRBB's frequency. DoS is my baby and it always will be.**

 **Kickass-Cinder-sized thansk to everyone who reviewed, followed and favorited _Falling Roses Burn Brighter_!**

 **-Zeroan**


	5. Kindling

The air in team RWBY's room was filled with tension, as it rarely ever was. Ruby was unnerved by the silence, but that wasn't what bothered her most: it seemed like she was the only one aware of how everyone was acting.

Weiss had been running in and out of their bathroom, trying out different outfits as if her life depended on it. The leader found it both funny and disturbing, because the clothes all looked the same to her, which their white colorations and such. She didn't have a single clue about why her partner was so obsessed with them.

Blake's agitation was more difficult to detect, but Ruby had caught the numerous times she had looked discreetly at Weiss. She also hadn't turned a page of her book in half an hour, so that was also worrying. Ruby felt bad for her, but she wasn't about to say anything that could hurt any of her teammates.

Well, she also probably would never get the opportunity, because Yang was poking her and throwing her concerned glances with intervals of less than minutes. While it was sweet the first few times, Ruby was now seriously considering the ramifications of… well, her scythe was pretty _sharp_ …

"Are you sure you wanna go on this date, sis?" Yang asked, rolling around on her bed. "I mean, you're fifteen! You have all the time in the world for dating!"

" _Yang_." Ruby said tiredly. "I'm not a little girl. And yes, I wanna go on this date. You've asked me so many times, I'm not even embarrassed about calling it a date anymore!"

"I just worry about you." The blonde sighed. "Sorry."

Like a sign of salvation, Ruby's phone beeped, and a text message from Cinder flashed on its screen, telling her she was ready. The redhead almost squealed with excitement as she jumped down to the ground and raced out the door, wishing a good afternoon for all her friends.

Weiss gave her teammates an emotionless look, then glanced down at her own phone. It had been silent for the whole day.

"Well…" She examined her current set of clothes. "This will have to do. Wish me a good afternoon."

"Have fun!" Yang winked at her "Don't forget to use protection!"

Weiss would have given her an outraged response, but she was too flustered for that. Instead, she pretended her face wasn't bright red, nodded towards Blake, then headed out of the room.

"Good joke." Blake deadpanned.

"Sorry." Yang said, realizing her partner must not have liked her implications. "Hey, suppose Weiss _did_ touch butts with Neptune. I just did you have a huge favor! She won't get pregnant, at least."

"What joy." The faunus stuck her head out her bed's side to look up at her friend. "You do realize your _touching butts_ expression makes absolutely no sense, right?"

"Half of the expression people use don't make sense! Why can't I make up one myself?!"

Blake shrugged, realizing her partner had a point.

"Anyway…" She said. "You're going after Ruby, now?"

"Huh?" Yang frowned. "Why would I do that?"

"…To make sure she's okay?"

The blonde shook her head sadly, looking down at her hands.

"No. Like she said… Ruby is not a little girl anymore." She thought about asking if Blake would go spying on Weiss, but refrained from doing so. Even if she disagreed, Blake had made it pretty clear she didn't want to pursue the heiress. "You know what, Blake? We should go for a drink! I'll cry about my sister getting with hot ladies, you cry about Weiss getting with dorks… Sounds good?"

"I'm not a drinker." Blake answered drily. "And I don't need to cry."

Yang dropped to the ground and looked at her partner. The faunus's eyes were fixed on her book, but Yang knew her well enough to realize she wasn't focusing at all on her reading.

"Yeah, you don't." Yang said softly. "I'll be going by myself, then."

Blake didn't give any response, so she started to walk out of the room. Yang stopped on the doorway, her hand lingering on the knob for a few seconds. She looked back at her partner, so silent and thoughtful, and couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for her.

"Blake?" She called.

"Hmm?" The faunus answered without looking at her.

"If you need anything…" Yang smiled, doing her best to appear as kind as possible. "I'll always be there for you. Okay?"

Blake didn't respond aloud, but her ears twitched beneath her bow and her lips parted to form a warm smile.

* * *

When Ruby saw Cinder standing on the gates of the Academy, she wished she had followed Weiss's lead and changed into another outfit. Even her alternate combat uniform would have been better for the occasion! But, _no_ , she had to be a silly girl and stay in her everyday cloak and battle skirt.

Cinder was wearing a dress Ruby had never seen on her before. It wasn't overly fancy; in fact, it was rather simple, just black silk with red lines, ending loosely above her knees, but it made her look like… Ruby couldn't even find a term fitting to describe how good Cinder looked in the dress!

When she finally got to her, Cinder looked at her and raised an eyebrow with amusement. Ruby blushed and leaned her head down, realizing she had been really obvious in her gawking.

"S-sorry." She said. "I didn't dress up like you did."

"I wasn't expecting you to."

Ruby's expression soured.

"I didn't mean that as a bad thing." Cinder smirked. "You look wonderful in your usual clothes. Any attempt of dressing differently would be a waste of time."

"T-thanks." Ruby gulped. She hadn't ever gotten praised for her looks before. "You look… Uh, _awesome_! But I guess that was obvious by the way I was staring…"

"I'm flattered." The raven-haired girl said. "So, where should we go? I've never spent time in Vale, so I'm afraid I don't have any suggestions."

Ruby's face brightened. Now _that_ was something she had planned for completely and with much care. Even if she loved weapon shops most than anywhere else (other than Beacon, of course), she still had a pretty good idea of where to take someone for a date.

"We're going to a fantastic coffee and tea shop called _Iroh's_. I heard they serve the best stuff on Vytal!" She told.

"Impressive. I didn't take you for that kind of girl." Cinder said. "It sounds really nice. Shall we get going?"

Ruby nodded enthusiastically, then grabbed her date by an elbow and headed down the path to the city.

* * *

Adam Taurus thought of himself as a very patient man. He could wait hours to raid a target, and he could watch someone for hours just to get the slightest bit of information. Once, he had even endured three weeks of staking out a single White Fang fugitive, just to make sure nothing important about the organization would be made public.

However, every man met his limit. Yes, maybe he had met that limit a tad too quickly; but he felt he was in the right, considering the circumstances.

"Let me repeat, just to make sure I understood you correctly." He said slowly, a top a Vale building. "Cinder Fall is postponing our meeting, and therefore our whole objective here, on the basis that she had a _date_."

"Yep." Mercury shrugged. "We thought it was weird too."

"And this girl she took on a date is a _student from Beacon_?"

"Like I said. Weird."

Adam resisted the urge to remove his mask and pinch his forehead. In all his years, he had never heard something so absurd.

If it had been anyone else doing something so stupid, then he could have just accepted it as idiocy and waited for another meeting, another day. But not _Cinder Fall_. She was the most effective and focused person he had met on his business, and now he was supposed to believe she was courting some random kid.

"You know, I feel a growing temptation to cut your head off and send it to her just as a warning." Adam said.

"Hey! I'm as pissed off as you are, believe me." Mercury raised his hands as a gesture of peace. "Cinder has been acting strangely for weeks now. Calling off standard procedures like taking out threats, lingering way too much on one particular group… She's even laughing and smiling now!"

"Oh." The faunus looked down at his sword. "Now that's serious. Try to get her to talk to me as fast as possible. I'll knock some sense into her."

"I'll do that." Mercury nodded. "Thanks for not cutting off my head."

The silver-haired boy jumped off the building, leaving Adam alone with his thoughts.

"Things just got a hell of a lot more complicated…" He said, then let out a long sigh.

* * *

The walk to the shop was a pleasant one, with Ruby and Cinder having a simple conversation of things that weren't really important. Neither of them knew very well how to behave in these circumstances, but Ruby's cheerfulness and Cinder's calm demeanor made their time together better than either expected.

Luckily, what Ruby had heard about _Iroh's_ turned out to be true. It was in one of Vale's main streets, but even in the middle of the afternoon it wasn't crowded with people. When they headed inside, they had numerous choices of where to sit, and settled on a table by a window.

Ruby's lack of experience with the place's specialties was remedied by Cinder. Apparently, the raven-haired girl did like tea, which didn't exactly surprise Ruby.

"Jasmine." Cinder ordered quietly to the waiter. "For us both."

The young man nodded his understanding and walked away, leaving them alone. Ruby looked out the window awkwardly, trying to come up with something to say. Her sister always made romance sound as easy as slaying Grimm, but she couldn't even speak properly on a simple date.

"So, uh… Jasmine!" Ruby said abruptly. "That's… a flower!"

Cinder looked at her blankly. The redhead closed her eyes, cringing silently.

"Yes, jasmine is a flower." Cinder agreed. There was a vague note of amusement on her voice, but Ruby was too embarrassed to notice it. "It's also a tea flavor, and a very good one at that."

"I never heard people talk about it." Ruby said, relieved she wasn't being made fun of. "I hear more about chamomile, and… chamomile…"

"That's because tea isn't really popular in Vale, so not many people have only tasted a select few flavors like, as you said, chamomile." The raven-haired girl explained. "Jasmine is a favorite of mine. I find drinking it rather calming."

The waiter returned with two cups, which he set on their table. Cinder thanked him, then gestured towards Ruby.

"Come on. Try it!"

The redhead looked at the drink suspiciously, then slowly brought it closer to her mouth. After a quick sniff, she took a sip.

"Hmm… Wow, this is good…" Ruby said, then took another sip. "I can see why it calms you."

"I've got you hooked. Good!" Cinder smiled victoriously.

Her expression soured for a brief moment when she recalled how she had been introduced to tea. In other lands of Remnant, it was a much more common drink, and she and her colleagues had often taken advantage of that fact. Sometimes, a discreet addition of poison was much more effective than using swords or Dust.

Cinder quickly corrected her smile, afraid that her lapse had been spotted. Luckily, Ruby seemed none the wiser, having emptied her cup already.

"I'm really happy you know about tea. Even I'm afraid of what I'd do if someone gave me coffee." The cloaked girl said.

"Knowing how potent your Semblance is… Yes, I'd also be afraid of you having any more energy to work with!" Cinder agreed.

Ruby laughed lightly, which made a warm sensation to spread through Cinder's body. Part of the raven-haired girl's mind urged her to remember who she was, and how she needed to be careful. That part of her, however, had become so small lately, she barely heard it.

She took a sip of her tea, the corners of her mouth turning up as Ruby began to speak excitedly about one of her team's expeditions.

* * *

Blake was not, by any means, a scattered-brained person. Her ability to focus on something was not only something her friends knew well, but it was also something she took pride in. Nothing ever distracted her from whatever task she set for herself.

So, it became especially frustrating for her when she couldn't read through a single chapter from one of her novels all afternoon. She would read a paragraph, maybe even two, but then she would find herself staring blankly at the ink half an hour later, her thoughts having fled to somewhere else.

The worst part of her… _thing_ , with Weiss, was her inaptitude to have it make any sense to herself. Sure, Weiss was a good friend, maybe even an excellent one after their differences had been settled, but Blake couldn't understand why she had become so fixated on her.

Yes, Weiss was beautiful ( _gorgeous_ ), smart ( _a genius_ ), supportive ( _close_ )… But she was also judgmental ( _sheltered_ ), rude ( _suffering_ ) and cold ( _reserved_ )! How could Blake ever love someone so flawed?

 _I don't._ She told herself sternly. _She's my friend, and that's all. This is just a passing crush. I'm being silly._

Besides, Weiss had Neptune, and she seemed happy with him. Well, they barely knew each other, actually. And from the little Blake did know of him, Neptune appeared to be nothing special.

 _Fucking Neptune_. She cursed mentally, then coughed and rearranged her position on her bed. _I hope they're happy. That's all that matters… Neptune…_

Her musings went about like that all afternoon, until the sun set and the door to her room opened. Weiss strode inside with an even expression, looking down at her feet, as if she was deep in thought.

"Hey." Blake called quietly. "How did it go?"

Weiss looked at her and blinked, as if she was surprised by the question.

"It was… nice." She answered. "Neptune was cool."

"That's great." Blake said, then turned to look at her book.

Weiss went to her bed and lied down. For a long time, she just stayed there, staring at the underside of Ruby's mattress, while Blake still couldn't focus on her novel and kept giving her discreet glances.

"I lied." Weiss finally said. "The date sucked."

Blake closed her book and sat cross-legged, looking at her teammate. She was cheering inside, but that didn't reflect on her face.

"What happened?" She asked kindly.

"Nothing happened." Weiss said sadly.

"Then why did it suck?"

"Because _nothing happened_!" The heiress exclaimed. "We just… talked. I mean, I talked, and he spoke words back, but it was _nothing_! I felt like running away partway through the date." She crossed her arms bitterly. "Ruby was right. I shouldn't have been so excited about Neptune. He's just… a guy."

"You just don't know him well enough yet." Blake interjected. "Maybe if you two go on another date, you'll find out he's a great…" Her voice trailed off, not knowing how to express her thoughts properly. "A great guy?"

Weiss scoffed and shook her head.

"No. I know who he is, and it's not someone I want to be with." She said. "I just have to face it. There's no one for me here. I'll be lucky if there's someone for me _anywhere_."

She looked and sounded so depressed at that moment, Blake didn't think at all before getting up from her bed and nearing her. She only realized had she had done when her hands closed around one of Weiss's, and then she found herself frozen, unable to talk or go back to her bed.

"Blake?" Weiss spoke up, confused by her actions.

"…Don't say stuff like that. You're an incredible person, and it's impossible you'll be alone. Most people would kill to be with someone like you." Blake said quickly. "You just have to wait."

Weiss looked up at her silently, not letting go of her hand. Blake's heart started to beat faster as she wondered if _something_ was about to happen… Then Weiss squeezed, then retreated slowly.

"Thank you, Blake." She said, a genuine smile appearing on her face. "I know you'll find someone too."

"Maybe." The brunette walked back to her bed, turning her back to Weiss. "Who knows, right?"

"I know." Weiss giggled. "Maybe you've met him already… He _might_ have a tail and refuses to wear a shirt…"

For the first time in her life, Blake wanted to take one of her books and tear it in half.

* * *

If happiness could make someone fly, Ruby would have done three laps around the world and still have the energy to complete a dozen more. She had an unbreakable smile formed on her face as she walked back to Beacon.

Cinder was in a similar mood, though she showed it in a much more reserved manner. One of her hands held Ruby's, and it would take a lot of effort for someone to make her let go. Her thoughts were all focused on the girl beside her, and none of them had even a drop of malice to them.

When they reached the dormitories, Cinder insisted on accompanying Ruby to her room, and the redhead didn't protest at all. As the two made their way there, both slowed their pace in a silly attempt of making their date last longer.

Finally, they found themselves in front of RWBY's room. The team leader looked at the door, conflicted, then back at Cinder, who was staring at her silently.

"I…" Ruby said, suddenly finding it very difficult to speak any louder than a whisper. "I really liked our date."

"That was obvious. I did too." Cinder smirked. "…Do you want to do it again sometime?"

"Yeah!" The redhead exclaimed. "Yeah, I do! Next weekend? No, screw that! Next Monday?"

Cinder chuckled. Monday was only three days away.

"That would be excellent." She agreed.

The two of them stared at each other silently for a few moments. Cinder inched forward, her head leaning down slowly. Her eyes met Ruby's in a silent question, and the redhead barely nodded in response.

For a good ten seconds, they both felt like their worlds had turned into an explosion of fireworks and sparks all around them. Their lips only parted after a door creaked open, then a loud _thump_ echoed through the hallway.

"J-Jaune?" Ruby called worriedly, her breathing erratic.

She looked down at him. He had fallen backwards into his room, a bit of blood painting beneath his nose. Pyrrha appeared beside him, looking quizzically at him, them at Ruby and Cinder.

"Did you… punch him?" She asked slowly.

"No." Ruby said quietly. "We just… kissed…?"

Pyrrha shook her head disappointingly, then dragged her leader away by his feet, muttering something about _why she even tried anymore_.

Cinder looked at Ruby and offered a small smile.

"See you on Monday."

"O-okay."

The raven-haired girl nodded and walked away.

Ruby took a deep, calming breath, then entered her room. She was met with expectant stares from both Weiss and Blake.

"Well?" The heiress asked sharply. "How did it go?"

Ruby promptly started to freak out.

* * *

"I don't _care_ how strong she is; just get her out of here!" Junior whispered, crouching behind a counter on his bar while shaking one of his subordinates by his shoulders. "I can't have her trashing the place again!"

The minion gulped, then got up and walked around the counter until he was on the clients' side of it. Slowly, he made his way to Yang, who was sitting on a stool, poking her glass distractedly.

"Uh… M-miss?" He called meekly. "I'm g-gonna have to a-ask you to leave…"

"What?" She looked at him indignantly. "Can't I have a few drinks here?!"

"Y-you knocked out half our security guards, miss…"

Yang scoffed, as if his complaints had no relevance whatsoever. She got up, however, and raised her hands in compliance.

"Okay." She glared towards the spot she knew Junior was hiding behind. "I hope you go out of business!"

She walked away, slamming the front doors open in a gesture of defiance. She stood outside for a little while, just breathing the clean air and taking in the sight of the night sky.

Yang had decided she didn't mind what her sister was doing. Ruby was almost an adult, and she was also a team leader and fearsome warrior. Soon, she would be one of Remnant's most awesome Huntresses. There was no more reason for worrying about her like she was a baby.

Still, she was her little sister. Yang could reason as much as she wanted, but she was a creature of emotion. Visiting Junior's club was a necessity; it was the only place she could beat up people indiscriminately and get away with it. It was a wonderful way to take care of her stress.

When she started to walk back to Beacon, her mind was clear. In fact, she even found herself getting excited about hearing about Ruby's afternoon. Cinder seemed like a decent enough girl, and she would love to learn more about her.

 _I hope everything went okay._ Yang thought happily. _They talked and had fun and maybe they even kissed-_

The faint noise of someone landing on the ground behind her snapped her away from her thoughts. She didn't stop walking, waiting for the right moment to react to whoever was following her. It was difficult, and it went against her very instincts, but she knew it was the most sensible approach to the situation.

"Yang."

She froze. The stranger knew her name, and there was no ill intent apparent on their voice. The person seemed hesitant, even, as if they were afraid of speaking to her.

Yang turned and almost fainted. Her savior – the woman with the Grimm mask and red and black dress who had come to her rescue when Neopolitan had been about to kill her – was standing there, one of her hands resting on her sword's hilt.

"You." Yang said. Her confidence grew, and she took a step forward. "Who _are_ you?"

"It doesn't matter." The mysterious woman answered. "I'm here to tell you something _very_ important."

Yang's eyes narrowed, but she stayed put. Her curiosity was bigger than her confusion.

"Stay away from Cinder Fall. She is not a friend."

The woman didn't wait for a response, taking a step back already. Yang ran towards her, reaching forwards with her hand, but suddenly she found herself on the ground, a stinking sensation on her forehead.

Her savior was gone. Yang grunted angrily.

"Why can't things _ever_ be simple?!" She exclaimed. "…I'm going back to Junior's."

* * *

 **Kisses! Heartbreaking! Ominous warnings! We've got them all!  
**

 **To answer a question that was posed by NarfoOnTheNet, and I'm sure many of you have too... Cinder's eighteen-years-old in this story. Yeah. Who the hell knows how old she is canonically...**

 **I'm super happy about how well this story is being received! In one month of existence, it already has 130~ follows and 65~ favorites! Gosh darnit, that makes me jolly! (I don't know why I expressed myself that way, but gosh darnit, it's gonna stay that way!)**

 **Branwen-surprise-sized thanks to everyone who reviewed, followed and favorited _Falling Roses Burn Brighter_!**

 **-Zeroan**


	6. Fading

Ruby hit her pencil against the edge of her desk, producing a quiet, but nevertheless annoying sound. She continued to do it, staring off at a corner of the classroom with a goofy smile on her face.

Yang was beside her, swaying slightly on her seat. Dark rings surrounded her eyes, and she was barely managing to keep them open. Her sister's constant noise-making helped her stay awake, but she would be much happier if she stopped; Ruby was the reason she was in such a state in the first place, after all.

She couldn't help but feel some anger when she stared at that goofy little grin. Yang had to resist the urge to shake Ruby by her shoulders and yell at her to _stop_. Yet such a thought also caused her to feel angry at herself… Ruby was happy, and she wanted to take away from her because of some stranger whose name she didn't even know?

She almost jumped from her seat when an elbow nudged her on her side. Yang looked at Blake with wide eyes, while the brunette responded with a look of worry.

"Are you okay?" Blake mouthed.

"Hmm…" Yang leaned forward and rested her head on her hands. "'M okay. Just didn't sleep well."

Blake rolled her eyes, knowing very well that her partner was lying. She didn't push her for the truth, though. Yang was one of the few people she truly cared about, and she would never do anything to hurt her, be it emotionally or physically.

The sound of snapping wood reached her eyes, then she saw the blur of a pencil fly across the classroom until it hit the wall behind professor Oobleck, who didn't bat an eye at the event and just kept babbling on about history.

"Weiss!" Ruby whined quietly. "My pencil…"

"You're so _annoying_!" Weiss whispered angrily. "I've learned to put up with your paying zero attention to class, but I'm not going to let you daydream _and_ make annoying sounds that will distract _me_!"

"But… You're not paying attention now, are you?" The redhead's eyes narrowed accusatorily.

Weiss' mouth contorted as she tried to find a counter argument. Eventually, she gave up and set her partner's head forward with her own hands. Ruby squirmed victoriously, then fished another pencil from her case and started to hit it against her desk.

Blake smirked with amusement as she watched them. Without any thinking of it, her eyes wandered to Weiss. The heiress hadn't fixed her hair on a ponytail, as she did nearly every day, so it fell to middle of her back freely. Blake already thought her hair was pretty, but seeing it that way made her look almost like another person entirely; not Weiss, the regal, proud heiress of a multi-billionaire company… Just Weiss, a normal girl devoted to her studies and her friends.

Blake looked up at her face and froze. Weiss was looking right back at her, one eyebrow rising slowly, as if she didn't know what to make of her obvious staring. Then, she smiled slightly and nodded, before diverting her sight to the professor.

Blake slid down her chair, feeling extremely confused. She looked at Yang, wondering if she had noticed the silent interaction, but the blonde had crashed against her desk, a bit of drool spilling out of the corner of her mouth. The faunus smiled sympathetically and patted her on the back.

* * *

Cinder looked over her shoulder, making sure nobody was following her. Everyone at Beacon was either teaching or attending class, but she hadn't built a reputation by being careless. After scanning the path that led to the school behind her for a few seconds, she nodded and ran to the edge of the city of Vale.

She jumped and clashed her feet against the side of a building, then ran up the rest of the way, not taking a single look at the ground far beneath her. With a somersault, she landed on the roof, then scanned the city from up high.

Her usual meeting point with her contacts was near the center plaza, so she started making her way to it, jumping from rooftop to rooftop with effortless grace. The nature of her meetings was strange, and perhaps a bit too bothersome, but it provided her with much-needed secrecy. No cop was going to stumble on a criminal discussion on top of a building.

After a few minutes, she reached her destination and found Adam Taurus already there. Half of his face was hidden behind his mask, but she could already tell he was displeased.

"Cinder." He greeted. "What an honor it is to meet with you personally."

"Save your jabs, Taurus." Cinder said, her tone of voice neutral. "My reasons are my own, and if you're so… annoyed, by the way I do things, then perhaps you should look for someone that will fulfill your wishes more to your liking." She smiled slightly. "Of course, you'd have to be a fool to do that. You know very well such a person doesn't exist."

"You're talkative today. Maybe I should look into going with dates with schoolgirls too."

She glared at him, but decided to let the matter go. Ruby was a subject too dangerous for her to even mention.

"Let's get to business, Adam." She said. "What did you want to speak about so badly?"

"I've organized most of the runaways from the Grimm breach already. When the time comes, they'll be ready for action." Adam told. "However, the largest portion of Glenn's men are still in prison. I'll need help breaking them out."

"I see…"

Cinder paced to the edge of the building, thinking about the matter. Staging a prison break on the Vale capital, of all places, would be a very difficult undertaking. No doubt there were Huntsmen among the city's forces, threats so above the common cop… The White Fang would be pressed to achieve victory, and even if they did, the casualties would be enough to put a halt to the rest of their plans.

"I will come to your help myself." She decided. "Don't bring any of your underlings. That would only result in unnecessary losses."

"Color me impressed." Adam nodded with satisfaction. "I expect this job to go much more smoothly with your help."

"Don't get used to it." Cinder said. "Contact me when you're ready."

Without another word, she jumped to another building, ignoring Adam's silent gaze. She made her way back to Beacon, but halfway there, she stopped to stare at the school's distant silhouette.

 _Ruby._

Cinder shook her head slowly and slid down the building's side, landing carefully on an alley. Silently, she stepped out of it and into the streets, from where she walked the rest of the way back.

* * *

"And then I ate a cookie and then she ate a cookie, and I said, _that's actually a cream cookie_ , and she was like, _wooooah_ , and then she said it was good and we kissed and stuff…"

Jaune stared blankly at Ruby, who sat across from him on their usual cafeteria table, babbling on about her sixth date with Cinder. Well, at least he thought it was the sixth. She talked so often about these things he had lost track some time ago.

Thankfully, his ineptitude about the topic was remedied by Pyrrha, who nodded enthusiastically along to Ruby's story. He wasn't sure if his partner was actually interested or she was just being her usual helpful and friendly self.

"So, are you actually dating now?" Pyrrha asked curiously. "I mean, you've gone on dates, you've kissed, you've told other people you've kissed… But are you calling each other girlfriend?"

"Uh… I guess?" Ruby frowned, finding Pyrrha's inquiry really annoying, if only because she didn't know how to answer it. "We know we like each other… Do we need to make an official statement or something?"

"No, no!" Pyrrha shook her head fervently. "I didn't mean anything like that. I was just curious."

Their conversation was cut short by Yang, who appeared beside Ruby and practically slammed a tray of food on the table before sitting down. The blonde looked like a mess, and she ate her food like it was her most hated enemy.

"Uh… Sis?" Ruby poked her. "You okay?"

"I'm fine!" Yang snapped. "I'm just hungry, okay?!"

She chewed her food furiously, then gave her sister a sideways glance. Ruby seemed to have shrunk, and her eyes were a bit watery. Yang's anger was instantly replaced with guilt.

"Ruby, I'm sorry… I'm just… not feeling very well. Didn't get enough sleep." She said quietly. "Can you forgive me?"

"Okay!" Ruby answered cheerfully. "You're forgiven!"

Yang smiled, wondering how her sister could be so happy all the time.

"So…" Jaune said, not wanting the topic of Cinder to be raised again. "Where's Weiss and Blake? Are they sick or something?"

"Nope." Ruby answered. "They're sparring in the gym."

"Weiss and Blake? Sparring?" Pyrrha repeated.

"Oh, that's a delicate, complicated matter. You don't wanna look into it, trust me." Yang advised.

Pyrrha looked at the two girls from RWBY, feeling incredibly lost. Jaune leaned closer to her and whispered in her ear.

"Blake's got a crush on Weiss." He told. "Didn't you know?"

"What? No, I didn't." She whispered back.

" _Really_? But it's so obvious!" Jaune exclaimed, forgetting to keep his voice down.

Pyrrha stared at him with a passive expression, while in her head murderous thoughts started to take place. Apparently, Jaune was _so_ perceptive he had somehow figured out Blake, who barely spoke two phrases a day, had a crush on Weiss, who she was much more inclined to hate, yet he couldn't take a single hint from her?

 _I swear…_ She thought bitterly. _One day, they're gonna wake up and find your body pieces scattered around the school._

"What's so obvious?"

Ruby squealed loudly and jumped to hug Cinder, who was standing beside their table with a curious expression. The raven-haired girl smiled happily as she tried to keep her balance while not letting the redhead fall to the floor.

"Ruby!" She exclaimed. "I'm happy to see you too!"

"Not as happy as I am!" Ruby protested, then planted a kiss on her lips.

Cinder chuckled, then set her down on her feet. She looked at the people on the table with an easy smile between her lips.

"Hey, Cinder." Jaune said in a dead tone of voice. "Ruby was just telling us about your sixth date."

"Actually it was their seventh." Pyrrha corrected, earning herself a glare from him. "How are you doing, Cinder?"

"I'm okay. What about you two?"

As they continued to have small talk, Yang observed, eating her food silently. After a while, Cinder noticed that and turned to her, a worried look on her face.

"Is there something wrong, Yang?" She asked. "You look… Not well."

"Hmm. Maybe it's because you're here." Yang muttered.

Ruby and Cinder shared confused glances.

"That was a joke." Yang deadpanned. "I didn't sleep well. Actually, I'm gonna go take a nap, now. Bye, Ruby, Jaune, Pyrrha… Cinder."

She got up from her seat and walked away, leaving her half-full plate behind. Ruby shrugged, taking her motive for leaving at face value, while Cinder watched her go away with worry.

* * *

Blake and Weiss circled around each other, their steps slow and careful. Their eyes didn't part from each other, not for an instant. A split second of inattentiveness, and one of them would go down.

After what felt like hours of eye contact, Blake looked away. Weiss smirked and dashed forward, flicking her rapier towards her teammate's torso. Blake managed to sidestep, the blade cutting millimeters away from her stomach.

The faunus brought her sword down in a diagonal slash, forcing Weiss to jump back and out of reach. Blake leaped to her, and she raised her weapon accordingly to defend herself. However, the brunette turned to shadows and disappeared.

Weiss didn't lose a beat, having grown accustomed to her teammate's Semblance in the passing months. She turned around, already flicking her rapier up to deflect Blake's strike.

Blake stumbled back, surprised by the turn of events. Weiss closed the distance and poked her on the stomach with her sword, making her fall to the ground. Then, she twirled Myrtenaster and pointed it at her neck.

"Predictable." The heiress said. "You should give me more credit. Did you really think I would fall for that old trick? You use it on everyone."

"I'll give my all this time, then." Blake murmured.

She started to raise her head, but Weiss extended her rapier forward, forcing her to lie it back down. Blake frowned confusedly.

"It's kinda difficult to spar when one of us is on the ground." She pointed out.

"Depends on what kind of spar you mean." Weiss winked at her, then drew her sword back.

Blake got up, her heart beating fast inside her chest.

"T-that's a Yang line." She said, cursing herself for stuttering so obviously. "Since when do you say these kinds of things?"

"It was just a joke." Weiss smiled smugly. "You never get uncomfortable when she does it. I wonder why it's different with me…?"

 _She knows._ Blake realized. _And she's_ toying _with me_.

The faunus growled and slid forward, trying to strike Weiss with her swords while her guard was down. The heiress snapped to attention and ducked under her slash, then put a hand on her stomach and pushed. Blake lost all balance, crashing to the ground while her swords went flying away.

"Huh." Weiss poked her with a foot. "So all it takes to beat you is romantic insinuations?"

Blake got up and hurried to her swords. She picked them up and walked to the exit of the gym, then glared at Weiss over her shoulder. The heiress looked at her, expecting her to yell or cry or… Well, something else, but Blake just closed her eyes and walked away with heavy steps.

Weiss stood in the middle of the gym, staring blankly at the direction her teammate had fled for. She let Myrtenaster fall to the floor, then sat beside it and hugged her legs, glad that there was nobody near to watch her.

* * *

Yang moved through the halls of the dormitory, leaning against a wall with all her strength. Her whole body felt numb, and she couldn't see two meters in front of her, because all the lights were out.

The hallway seemed to be longer than she remembered it being, and when she turned a corner, it was there again. She stared at the darkness, feeling a pit in her stomach.

All of a sudden, laughter echoed through the hallway. Yang stumbled, as if she had been hit by something physical. She knew that laugh…

"Ruby?" She called. "Ruby, can you hear me?!"

The laughter continued, growing louder and louder by the second. Yang cursed under her breath and let go of the wall, trying to run to the source of the noise, but every step she made felt heavier and heavier, until she fell face-first to the floor.

She crawled forward, controlled entirely by her panic. Finally, she turned another corner and reached her team's hallway, and to her relief, their door was open, with light flooding out of it.

The laughter was cut short, replaced by an anguished scream. A _thump_ rang across the highway. Then, a different laugh reached Yang, yet it was no normal laughter… It was a distorted, almost demonical sound, something that made shivers run down her spine…

 _Cinder_.

Yang forced herself up and ran to the room. On the middle of the floor was Ruby, her eyes glazed over, staring at the ceiling, with a deep cut running from shoulder to hip. Blood pooled around her like a lake as red as her beloved cloak.

"Ruby!" Yang yelled and fell beside her, cupping her face with her hands. "Ruby!"

The blonde shook her, but her sister gave no sign of life. Tears flooded Yang's vision, and she started to sob uncontrollably.

"I warned you."

The masked swordswoman appeared in front of her. She stomped on Ruby's face and, with her other leg, kicked Yang on the stomach, making her fall on her back like a defenseless doll.

"I warned you!"

The stranger drew her sword and brought it down in a flash.

"I warned-"

* * *

Yang jumped down from her bed at the same time that Blake strode inside the room, slamming the door shut behind her. Both froze in their spots and looked at each other, taking in how bad each other looked.

Blake's face was strangely emotional. Usually, she would keep her expression rather emotionless, only smiling and glaring when really appropriate. Now, however, she seemed to be completely dysfunctional; Yang couldn't figure out if she was angry, sad, happy, or all of these.

Yang, however, was very easy to read. Her eyes were red and tears streamed down her face. Her fists were clenched and shaking, as if she wanted to hit something but couldn't find a target.

Taking a snap decision, Blake stepped over to her partner and hugged her tightly. Yang stood still for a brief moment, then hugged her back, almost breaking Blake's spine with the strength she used.

"What happened?" Blake whispered.

"I… I had a bad dream…" Yang answered. "It… Blake…"

The blonde retreated from the hug. She nodded, took a deep breath, and then looked at her partner seriously.

"Blake, there's something I need to tell you…"

For the next ten minutes, they sat on Blake's bed while Yang narrated how she had been saved from Neopolitan by a stranger, who had later showed up to warn her about Cinder, and then finally her horrible nightmare. Blake listened to every word attentively, and hugged her again when she spoke about finding Ruby dead on the floor.

"…Do you believe her?" The faunus asked quietly after the tale was over.

"W-what?" Yang frowned, wiping a tear off her eye.

"The masked woman." Blake clarified. "Do you believe what she said about Cinder? That she's… not a friend?"

"I don't know what I believe!" The blonde exclaimed furiously. "I have to choose between trusting Cinder, who I barely know but is dating my little sister, or someone who is a complete stranger to me, but saved my life." She gave her partner a bitter smile. "Wanna choose for me?"

Blake shrugged helplessly. She truly had no other way of helping except for offering her companionship and comfort.

They spent a long time in silence. Yang's tears stopped completely, and slowly, she took on a more contemplative expression, as if she were coming up with a plan. Blake noticed that, but didn't dare speak a word about it.

"Say, Blake… You're pretty much a ninja, right?" Yang asked.

"…Yes, pretty much." Blake said, though she found the assertion quite ridiculous. Agreeing with it was much better than arguing, however.

"Then you can spy on Cinder for me!" The blonde suggested triumphantly. "You can find out if there's anything wrong about her! If she is just a normal girl, then I'll know that masked woman is some crazy lunatic who I shouldn't trust!"

Blake's mouth formed a strict line. The thought of following someone and spying on their private affairs reminded her of her years with the White Fang, a time she would rather forget entirely. However, Yang had been so distraught, and now she looked so hopeful, that Blake found herself acting against her more rational side.

"That's a good idea." She said. "I'll do it tonight."

" _Thank_ _you_ , Blake!" Yang hugged her again. "Have I ever told you you're the best friend anyone could have?"

"Actually, you haven't." Blake smirked. "I appreciate the compliment."

She got up and looked at her Scroll, checking for the time. It was nearly dusk; she should probably go out before their other teammates saw her leave and got suspicious.

"So…" Yang spoke up slowly. "What happened to you, Miss Belladonna?"

"Oh." Blake said, remembering the events of her own afternoon. "Nothing, really. Weiss was a bitch."

"Grr… I'll punch her on the mouth!"

"Yeah, you do that for me." Blake frowned. "No, seriously. Do it for me."

Yang nodded energetically, then wished her good luck as she walked out of the room. The blonde smiled and fell back on her partner's bed, resting her hands behind her head.

Half an hour passed before Weiss walked inside the room, looking around with barely-concealed dread. Finding only Yang there, she strode to her bed, sighing with relief.

Yang got up and smiled to her teammate.

"Hey, Weiss." She greeted cheerfully. "Do me a favor?"

"What?" Weiss asked, turning to face her curiously.

Yang took her right gauntlet off.

"Hold this for me?"

Weiss raised an eyebrow at her, but took the gauntlet nonetheless. Immediately, she crashed against the floor, having received a powerful punch to the cheek. The heiress rubbed her face and looked up at Yang confusedly.

"What was that for?!" She shrieked.

"You're a bitch, and I needed something to hit." Yang explained matter-of-factly. "Want me to get you a bag of ice?"

"No!"

* * *

"If we're lucky, there won't be more than three or four Huntsmen guarding the prison." Cinder spoke to her colleagues, sitting on the edge of her bed with a calculating tone of voice. "However, we shouldn't count on luck. After the breach incident, the city's on high alert. There might be a dozen stationed there."

"Well… I guess that's more bruises for us." Mercury said smugly. "We can handle them just fine."

Cinder looked at him fixedly.

" _I_ can take down most Huntsmen easily enough. You two will have more difficulty." She said. "Don't be arrogant, Mercury. I don't personally care about your health, but you are an asset I'd rather not lose."

Mercury's expression soured and he looked away, crossing his arms.

"But, Cinder… Isn't it risky if you show yourself like that?" Emerald asked. "Mercury and I won't attract much attention, but you're on a whole other level, as you said. You might have to leave Beacon."

The raven-haired girl nodded. She didn't speak for a while, staring blankly at a corner of their room.

"…That is a problem, indeed." She said finally.

"Yeah, yeah… How are you gonna cuddle with _sweet Ruby_ if you're outed as a criminal?" Mercury chuckled.

Cinder's eyes darted to him, and a great rage seemed to burn in them. It was only a flicker, though, which was replaced with a profound sadness.

"That's enough planning, I believe." She said neutrally. "I'm going for a walk."

Cinder got up and walked to the door silently. Emerald glared at Mercury and punched him on the shoulder.

"Jerk!"

* * *

Cinder stepped out into the school campus. The sky was starless that night, and the moon was also invisible. She was completely in the dark as she walked across the grass, amber eyes staring morosely at the ground.

She had walked herself into a trap, and hadn't noticed it until it was too late. Somehow, she had convinced herself that seeing Ruby was an opportunity to learn more about the intricacies of Beacon and its people; yet that had been a lie. Each day that passed, her desire to be with her had only grown, until she completely forgot about second intentions.

It was the most foolish thing she had ever done in her life. She had allowed herself to grow attached to someone who would no doubt hate her, and there was no argument that could save her. There was no life for her beside Ruby, even if she left her criminal undertakings behind.

She reached a tall tree in the middle of the campus, and stared at it silently. The sight of it comforted her. It was strong and unmovable, like she had always been, yet all it would take for it to die was a spark too close to its leaves. If only she could-

A hand closed around the back of her uniform and turned her around. Suddenly, Cinder found herself facing Blake, who pushed her with all her strength, making her slam her back against the tree.

"Blake?" Cinder asked fearfully. "What-"

The faunus drew her sword and pointed it at her neck.

"Tell me why I shouldn't knock you out and turn you in." She hissed.

"I-I…" Cinder stammered. "What did you hear?"

"What did I hear?!" Blake closed the distance between them, dropped her sword and gripped the raven-haired girl's collar. "I heard you planning to break out every White Fang prisoner in Vale with Adam Taurus' help! You're a… I don't _know_ what you are! A thief, a _murderer_?!"

Cinder could only stutter a few sounds as she felt her world falling apart around her. There was absolutely no defense for her; she could only…

 _No_. Cinder thought angrily. _I won't kill you_.

"Blake, listen to me." She begged, and a part of her hated how she sounded. She was powerful, wise, she shouldn't have to resort to _begging_! "I'm not innocent, I won't deny that. But… But I…"

"But you _what_?" Blake pressed.

"I don't want this anymore." Cinder muttered, feeling broken on the inside. "Please. I've never… You can't take this away from me, Blake. Ruby, she's…"

Cinder looked down at her feet, and was surprised to see a few tears fall down to the ground. _I'm not – I don't cry!_ She gritted her teeth. _Ruby…_

Blake took a step back and stared at Cinder. She was so very conflicted by that sight… Her pessimistic side told her Cinder was trying to fool her, but her other side, the one who struggled with her violent past and the things she hid from the world… That side of her sympathized with Cinder.

The faunus rubbed her forehead and looked away, feeling helpless about the situation. Cinder glanced at her and felt a pang of hope.

"What if…" She spoke suddenly. "What if I told you everything I know, and together we stopped Adam Taurus?"

"Are you mad?" Blake glared at her. "I can't keep this a secret! You're Ruby's girlfriend! What do you think would happen if she found out?"

"That's exactly why you can't tell her." Cinder said. "Please, Blake. You're my only chance."

A minute of silence passed as Blake looked away, thinking about her plea and all its consequences. Then, she looked back at Cinder, and amber eyes met amber eyes.

"Tell me everything."

* * *

 **...**

 **Can you feeeeeeeeel the plot tonight?**

 **...**

 **Anyway. I'm kinda considering adding Weiss and Blake as a pairing on the description, but eh... This is a Falling Petals story through and through, in the end.**

 **Addressing some reviews!**

 **NarfoOnTheNet: I don't hate Jaune. And the Shine dance did happen here, with Jaune on hi white dress and all that. There is a reason why he acts densely in relation to Pyrrha... A humorous reason, but a spoilerous reason too (and yes, that's a word now).**

 **STM16: Yes, the tea shop name's was a reference to Avatar. I love that show to death! And... NO SPOILERS!**

 **Ninja-Blake-sized thanks to everyone who reviewed, followed and favorited _Falling Roses to Burn Brighter_!**

 **-Zeroan**


	7. Fire and ice

"Hello, Team RWBY!"

Ruby burst into her room, almost knocking the door off its hinges. She had the widest of smiles on her face, and she couldn't keep herself still for even a single second.

She looked around the room, still happy, but slowly becoming unsettled by its mood. Yang was lying down on her bed, listening to music with a closed expression, while Blake had her eyes glued on a book and Weiss just sat on her own bed, looking blankly at nowhere in particular.

"Team RWBY?" The redhead repeated quietly.

Yang sat up suddenly and gave her a big smile. Ruby sighed in relief, thinking she had overreacted to the silence in the room.

"Hey, sis! How did your _ninth_ date go?" The blonde asked curiously. "Did you share lots of smooches?"

" _Yang_!" Ruby protested, her cheeks becoming as red as her cloak.

"Come on, you can tell me _anything_." Yang winked at her. "Why are you embarrassed? You and Cinder kissing isn't a secret to anyone! Maybe…" He eyes widened. "Ruby, did you give _more_ than smooches?"

Ruby's face reddened even more, and she flailed her arms helplessly.

"Y-you're a pervert! We haven't done anything more than smooches, and even then, we don't even do it that much." She said. "I preferred it way more when you didn't get along with Cinder."

"Oh, well. My overprotective older sister instincts died down, I guess. Now you're gonna have to deal with the not-sister Yang instincts."

While the two were having that discussion, Blake stopped paying attention to her book. She had a horrible feeling on her stomach, hearing Ruby and Yang talk about Cinder as if nothing was wrong. She wanted to get out of her bed and tell them the truth, right then and there, but she found herself frozen on her spot.

A great part of the reason for that was that she had already lied to Yang about Cinder. Telling her the truth now could ruin their friendship… And then there was the issue of Ruby. She was like the little sister Blake never had, and to tear her world apart when she was so happy would be just cruel.

Also, a smaller, but perhaps even more vocal part of her head sympathized with Cinder. Blake knew how it was to keep secrets about one's own identity, especially when it was done to hide a violent past. She had been forgiven by her friends, but Cinder's secret was much more terrifying than hers, so she certainly wouldn't be so lucky.

"Blake?" Yang called. "Remnant calling to Blake. Pick up the phone."

"Huh?" The faunus looked up at her partner, who had stuck her head upside down to talk to her.

"You really ought to find something else to do other than reading books." The blonde noted jokingly. "Anyway. Ruby's in denial about her perverted side."

"So…?" Blake said, feeling very uncomfortable about the situation.

"Well, obviously she isn't dating Cinder only for her personality. Don't get me wrong, she's cool, but I think we can all agree Cinder's hotness is far more important."

Weiss snapped out of her quiet state to glare at Yang.

" _Excuse me_ , Xiao Long, but not everybody here is a depraved delinquent like you. I, for one, think it's very sweet how Ruby and Cinder keep a healthy relationship with no hormone-driven advances." She said pointedly. "As far as we know, of course."

"Gee, thanks, Weiss." Ruby deadpanned. "I love you too."

"Yeah, uhm… I _like_ you." Weiss looked away awkwardly.

"Do you wanna spar?!" The redhead asked, ecstatic about her partner's unusual sweetness.

Weiss gave Blake a discreet glance then shook her head, muttering a faint denial. Ruby looked at Yang in a silent question, but her sister didn't seem to notice her, shaking her head to her music.

"I'll spar with you." Blake said, putting her book aside. "This room's a little too crowded right now, anyway."

Ruby squealed loudly, then gripped the faunus by her wrist and ran away with her, much to the brunette's displeasure.

A few minutes passed as Weiss sat in silence and Yang listened to her music. Eventually, the heiress sighed, got out of her bed and walked next to Yang's. The blonde looked down curiously, then removed her headphone.

"Something you wanna say, Weiss?" She asked, purposefully avoiding using any nicknames. It was easy to see that Weiss was being very serious, and as much as the two had their conflicts, Yang still saw her as a friend.

"You… You know about romance, right?" The heiress asked, hanging her head down in shame.

"I guess. I'm not an expert, I just… make sex jokes and stuff." Yang said awkwardly. "Why do you ask?"

"Well…" Weiss paused, then shook her head, as if she wanted to get the matter over as quickly as possible. "Do you think Blake's in love with me?"

 _Oh, crap._ Yang thought, red alarms flaring inside her head. She was definitely not prepared to have this talk. Should she be honest, or should she do as Blake asked and lie? But Blake would be so happy if Weiss shared her feelings… Or wouldn't she? _Gah! I should have just ignored her!_

"Y-yeah?" Yang said, immediately cringing when Weiss' eyes widened.

"Are you serious?" The heiress asked, then narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "I swear, if you are making a big joke out of this…"

"No, no! Blake told me she liked you." The blonde frowned. "Well, actually I figured out she did and she didn't deny it when we talked about it."

"She t-talks about me?"

 _Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap._

"No! I mean, yes!" Yang covered her face with her hands. "Look, Weiss, she likes you a lot. Just don't push her, okay? And don't you _dare_ mention a word of this to her!"

Weiss nodded, then sat back down on the edge of her bed, looking ahead blankly. All her thoughts were filled by images of Blake, and soon her cheeks were burning with embarrassment.

"Weiss…?" Yang said quietly. "Do you like…?"

"I… I don't know." Weiss got up. "I… I need to take a walk."

Without another word, the heiress walked out of the room, leaving Yang alone feeling a mixture of guilt and expectancy.

 _Well, either I just created a lovely couple… Or I screwed everything up._

* * *

Blake dashed to the side just in time to dodge the blunt side of Ruby's scythe. The redhead skidded to a halt and started to turn, but she had too much momentum and her maneuver was too slow, leaving her wide open to a counter attack.

Blake took full advantage of the opening and leaped to her, bringing her sword and sheath over her head and towards her leader. Ruby steeled her stance and brought her scythe up, deflecting the attack.

The faunus allowed the clash to send her flying back and landed gracefully. Without losing a beat, she resumed her offensive, this time not taking her feet off the ground as she brought her sword in a low arc towards Ruby's legs.

The redhead slammed her scythe to the ground and jumped over the attack, using her weapon as a means to stay in the air. Blake slid forward, her balance lost as she didn't meet the resistance she had expected. Ruby smiled and spun her whole body, kicking the back of the faunus' head with both of her legs.

Blake's world swirled around her as she started to fall. Thankfully, Ruby was sensible enough to grab her before she hit the ground.

"Four points for Ruby, two for Blake!" She squealed victoriously. "Come on, best of five! You can still make a comeback!"

"I'm not opposed to the idea, but I think I'm too tired to compete anymore. You win." Blake conceded.

"Okay." Ruby said, still shifting her weight from one foot to the other. "That's completely understandable, and I will not push my teammates any more than they're able…" She paused. "…One more?"

Blake laughed lightly and nodded her agreement, raising her sword and sheath again. She didn't expect to win, but it wouldn't hurt _too_ much to give Ruby another victory. Maybe it was the guilt driving her actions, but Blake felt like she owed her leader that satisfaction.

Before they could get their fight started, the sound of footsteps drew their attention away from each other and to Cinder, who entered the gym silently. She seemed lost in thought, but when she saw Ruby, a smile immediately formed on her face.

"I didn't expect to see you here." She said.

"Really?" Ruby folded her scythe and put her hands on her hips. "It's the gym. You know, where people fight and stuff? I thought you knew me better than that."

"You have a point." Cinder noted.

"I didn't expect to see _you_ here." The redhead said. "You don't give fighting much thought, right?"

Cinder didn't answer. Instead, she walked to her girlfriend and leaned down to give her a kiss, to which Ruby didn't protest at all. After that, Cinder took a step back and nodded to Blake, who had a guarded expression.

"Hey, Blake." She greeted casually. "Did Ruby give you a hard time?"

"Yeah. I can endure it, though." Blake answered, knowing Cinder would understand the underlying message. _Everything's fine, still._ "I'm tired, though. I'll leave you two alone. Cinder's in way better shape to spar than me."

"But Blaaake…" Ruby pouted. "It's fun to have you around. And it's not like you enjoy spending time around Weiss these days!"

Blake was surprised by how perceptive her leader was. It was easy to see and treat Ruby as little girl, but she was deceptively clever when she wanted to be.

 _Still, she hasn't discovered who Cinder is. I guess that's for the best…_

"Okay…" Blake sighed. "You convinced me. I'll watch you two pummel each other."

"It'll be a loving pummeling, though." Ruby said, then she seemed to notice how weird that sounded. "W-well, you know… I didn't mean…"

"I got it." Blake smiled knowingly.

The faunus walked to a wall and leaned against it, giving the combatants proper space for movement. Ruby and Cinder distanced themselves from each other, then locked eyes.

Ruby's stare was filled with joy and excitement, while Cinder's was cold and calculative. For a moment, they forgot they were supposed to fight and lost themselves in each other's eyes. It was a brief few seconds, just long enough for Blake to notice and flinch, feeling even more conflicted than before.

Then, in the blink of an eye, Ruby had closed the distance, bringing her scythe in a horizontal arc. Two swords appeared in Cinder's hands, and she raised them to her side, blocking the strike fiercely. Ruby pushed, trying to break through her girlfriend's defense, but her efforts held no success.

Ruby took a step back, finding herself in a difficult position. She was a formidable fighter, but in close range, it was difficult for her to swing her weapon without missing and getting attacked in return.

Cinder recognized that flaw and took full advantage of it, never letting the redhead get too far from her as she stabbed and slashed with her swords. Ruby stepped back continuously, blocking as best as she could, until she hit a wall.

They were too close now for Ruby to even attempt attacking with Crescent Rose, so she let go of it and threw a desperate punch which carried her whole body forward. Cinder sidestepped casually and let her swords disintegrate, then grabbed her collar.

"Your unarmed combat sucks, love." She noted humorously.

Without putting too much force into the movement, Cinder slammed Ruby back to the wall. The raven-haired girl smiled and leaned forward, planting a kiss on the redhead's lips.

"You might be a prodigy, but I'm still way ahead of you." Cinder chuckled. "Keep trying, and maybe one day you'll get me."

Ruby stared at her blankly, remembering the familiar scene from the night of the dance, when that criminal had kissed her just like Cinder had just now.

"Ruby?" Cinder called worriedly. "Did I use too much force?"

"Huh?" Ruby shook her head and smiled. "No, no! I was just thinking how amazing you were!"

"Oh." Cinder tried to hide her blush. She might be hopelessly in love, but she would still like to maintain some semblance of toughness. "Thank you."

Blake watched as the two made their way back to the center of the gym, keeping her face emotionless. The way Cinder had defeated Ruby so easily left her worried. She doubted she could stand a chance to the raven-haired girl… Or even if her entire team could defeat her. That worry only made her more determined to settle everything as peacefully as possible.

Ruby's Scroll beeped, and she took a look at it curiously. She giggled and gave Cinder a mischievous look, much to her girlfriend's and Blake's confusion.

"I'll be leaving now. I have… lovely matters to attend to." She said. "Bye, bye."

She blurred away, leaving a trail of rose petals behind her. Cinder blinked, then looked at Blake with amusement. The faunus replied in kind for a few seconds, but her expression grew more serious.

"You should tell her who you are." Blake said.

"We've gone over this." Cinder replied. There was an edge to her voice, but Blake couldn't pinpoint if she was being threatening or if she was just tired. "I won't tell Ruby anything. We will ruin the White Fang's prison break, and end their whole operation in Vale. She will never know a word about it."

"You're being a fool. It doesn't work that way, Cinder. You can hope and do your utmost best to keep this a secret, but it _will_ blow up in your face." Blake warned bitterly. "Trust me, I'm talking from experience."

"Our plan remains the same." Cinder said, this time being clearly threatening.

Blake sighed and raised her arms in defeat. If Cinder wanted to dig herself into an even deeper hole, then she wouldn't be the one to stop her.

"Our plan remains the same." Blake repeated.

"Good." Cinder said "I don't suppose you want to spar."

Blake made her answer very clear by glaring at her.

"Of course." Cinder nodded. "And what was that I heard about you and Weiss? Do I sense some drama…?"

"There is _nothing_ going on between us." Blake said coldly. Her glare grew even fiercer. "Even if there was something, I wouldn't be telling you. I'm not your friend, Cinder. I don't know if you're good or evil, so I'm not letting my guard down around you."

"I understand." Cinder gave her a perfect little smirk. "I didn't expect anything less of Adam Taurus's protégé."

Her smile grew when Blake's eyes widened, then she turned and walked away without another word. Blake slid down the wall, her heart beating fast inside her chest. Suddenly, the pressure of the bow around her ears felt too great to ignore.

* * *

Yang's eyes rose above the pages of her magazine when her sister strode inside their room. The blonde rolled her eyes, not missing the obvious flutter in Ruby's steps and the goofy grin on her lips. Interestingly enough, the redhead was also carrying a bouquet of junipers on her hands.

 _Blah blah blah, Cinder. Blah blah blah, smooches._ _Blah blah blah, overprotective._

Yang resolved to not even ask what her sister was doing and just returned to reading her magazine.

Her interest was drawn away from the pages when Weiss walked in with a face that expressed both wonder and fear. Yang chuckled, assuming the heiress had come to a few major realizations.

"Hey, Weiss!" Ruby greeted. "What do you think of these flowers?!"

"They're great, Ruby. They're great." Weiss answered morosely. "Did Cinder give them to you?"

"No, I'm giving them to her." The redhead giggled. "Sort of."

The heiress nodded and sat down on her bed, not paying any attention to whatever Ruby was planning to do.

Then, Blake appeared, her fists closed and visibly shaking. Yang wondered what was wrong, but then her slight worry grew to a much larger level when Weiss got up and looked at the faunus expectantly.

Blake stared back silently, not sure what to make of the heiress' actions. Then she shook her head and looked away, still shaking, as if something was truly disturbing her.

Weiss opened her mouth to speak-

"Do we have a blender?" Ruby asked.

Everyone looked at her with different degrees of disbelief, then they pointed at a drawer. Ruby hummed with satisfaction and retrieved the object. She looked between the flowers and the blender in quiet contemplation.

"So, B-Blake." Weiss said.

"Oh, shit." Yang muttered, pinching her forehead.

"I-I was thinking, and w-well, I kinda c-came to the conclusion that…." The heiress was looking at anything but Blake, who in turn glowered at her. "I… I don't k-know how to say this."

Weiss felt the urge to jump to her bed and hide beneath its covers, but she resisted it. She prided herself in the fact that she never retreated from any situation, no matter how difficult or embarrassing it was.

"I really like you. I mean, I love you. No, I mean, I'm _in_ love with you." Weiss blushed. "I've ruined everything, right?"

Yang watched in anticipation as Blake stared at the heiress. A bunch of emotions flashed on her face, so many that it was impossible to tell how she truly felt by Weiss' revelation. Then, she went to her bed and lied down, reaching for a book with shaky hands.

"You're…" Weiss spoke, her voice filling with rage. "You're just going to _ignore_ what I just said?" She reached forward and tore the book from the faunus' grasp. " _Speak_."

"Would you please give me that back?" Blake requested coldly.

"No, I won't! You don't get to pretend you don't care!"

"Weiss…" The brunette said in a low tone of voice. "This is not a good time."

"Oh, I'm _sorry_." Weiss scoffed. "I didn't realize that, after months of you pining for me, when I finally reciprocated, it wouldn't be a _good time_." She took a step back and glared at her teammate. "Do you have _any_ consideration for what I've just done?"

In the blink of an eye, Blake's demeanor shifted from calm to outrage. She got up from her bed and faced Weiss, standing on the tip of her toes while pointing a finger at her face.

"Get over yourself!" She exclaimed. "I am not some confused little girl who's going to fall in your lap the first moment you _say_ you like me! _Pining_ for you?! I don't pine for anyone! The reason I never spoke up is because you're a horrible person!"

Yang looked between the monochrome pair, realizing she had to intervene before the situation escalated even further.

"Blake, maybe you should-"

"You're a spoiled, arrogant brat! You think you're on top of the world, and everyone else should bow to you!" Blake's tirade continued, her voice growing louder by the second. "Guess what, _princess_? You're not! You're a joke, and if you spent one minute in the outside world, you'd know that too!"

"How _dare_ you?!" Weiss seethed. "You're just a-"

"No, _you_ are a _filthy, little, SCHNEE!_ "

After that last shout, a whirling sound echoed across the room, then another, this time of a bunch of gears colliding and breaking apart. Everyone turned to look at Ruby, who had been watching the argument with a pale face. Beside her, on a counter, was the blender with a strange green and purple liquid inside it.

"G-guys?" She stammered. "H-how about we all just d-drink some calming juniper tea and-"

Blake strode out of the room, slamming the door behind her. Weiss sat on the edge of her bed and buried her face on her hands.

"Ruby…" Yang sighed. "That's not how you make tea."

* * *

Blake ran to the front of the school, brushing the tears off her eyes with shaking fists. Somehow, this felt even worse than when her faunus heritage had been discovered; _somehow_ , this felt even more personal.

She felt like the whole world was collapsing on her. Cinder's plan; whatever she felt for Weiss; Yang's mysterious savior… There was too much for her to shoulder, and, like always, she found herself alone, in the end.

She toyed with the idea of running away for good, joining back with the White Fang, and doing whatever she pleased. She had done enough good already, or tried to, right? Surely no one would miss her.

But that thought was too perverse, even in her frenzied state. She would never be able to raise her sword for that organization. Hard as it was, she was too good of a person.

So, her next idea was to just _end_. It shouldn't be too hard. She had her sword with her, and even better, she could change it to its pistol form. Or perhaps she could go to the Emerald Forest; the Grimm were especially vicious at night…

Her Scroll beeped, and despite her best intentions, she took a look at its screen.

 _Tomorrow. Meet me at seven in the morning in front of the school. Don't bail. I need your help, Blake._

Blake took a deep breath, then exhaled. She reached for her bow and untied it, then headed for the city to find a place to sleep.

* * *

 **Goddamnit, Blake, stop being the protagonist.  
**

 **I'm interested in what you guys thought of the Monochrome fight. I feel like I kept both reasonably in character, with the obvious exceptions made for Blake's whole situation and Weiss' extreme confusion. GIMME YOUR THOUGHTS.**

 **Also, can I just say Ruby is the most adorable person ever? I love writing her. More blender tea!**

 **Monochrome-sinking-sized thanks to everyone who reviewed, followed and favorited _Falling Roses Burn Brighter_!**

 **-Zeroan**


	8. Inferno

Cinder paced in front of Beacon's front statue, her head turned sharply to stare at her own feet. She had done these kinds of missions before – thieving, invading, _assassination_ – but now she felt terrified, and not only because of Blake's involvement.

Sure, the faunus was going to cause mayhem, and more than one coin flip would decide if Cinder got out of the situation better or worse, but… That was not all that worried her. It was criminal activity; she might have to kill people. For the first time in years, the thought made her sick to the stomach.

Thankfully, Blake's punctual arrival drew her mind away from these thoughts, and to the immediate situation.

"Blake." She greeted quietly, though a faint semblance of satisfaction slipped through. "I'm glad you came."

"It's not like I had any choice." Blake sighed. "It's too late to tell you to go back and tell Ruby everything, right?"

"Hmm." Cinder gave her no other answer, meddling with something on her hands. She opened them and showed the object to Blake. "This is our means of communication. Put it on your ear, and press it when you need to talk to me. Keep in mind, I probably won't be able to respond."

"Great." The faunus deadpanned. "This plan keeps getting better and better."

"I'll have to pretend to be on their side until the last second. When I say… _rose_ , you strike." Cinder said, ignoring her accomplice's somber demeanor. Something was bothering Blake deeply, and it wasn't their mission, but Cinder couldn't care less at present time. "Did you get it all?"

Blake nodded, then turned and started to walk away to the city.

"We might have to kill Adam." Cinder noted.

"Do whatever you want." The faunus said tiredly. "I'll be there for the show."

Cinder raised an eyebrow at that, but didn't pursue the issue further. It would be best if Blake didn't care, anyway; the last thing Cinder needed was someone giving speeches about conscience and good to her.

* * *

Weiss groaned as her eyelids parted heavily. She felt tired to the bone, and somehow, the sensation didn't seem all that unfamiliar. It hadn't been two months since her most embarrassing hangover.

She quickly realized the situation was _way_ worse than any hangover when she looked to the side and noticed Yang sleeping beside her, one arm wrapped around her belly protectively. Weiss froze up, then shrieked as she jumped out of her mattress and pressed against the opposite bed.

Yang woke and sat up slowly, blinking as she looked around morosely. Her eyes fixed on Weiss curiously.

"Why did you scream?" She asked, too sleepy to be truly angry. "You could have just shaken me or something."

"W-we… Y-you…" The heiress stammered, terrified. "Y-you took advantage of my weakness and… and…"

"Uh, Weiss, you were absolutely broken last night, and so I took it upon myself to help you sleep, without sleeping _with_ you." Yang said, not sure if she found the situation funny or terrifying. "In a friend sort of way, you know?"

"Oh. That's… very thoughtful of you." Weiss muttered. She was now embarrassed about her freaking out _and_ the fact that she had broken down the night before. Still, it was better than sleeping with Xiao Long. "Don't we have class today?"

Yang looked at her as if she had said the stupidest thing in history, but she quickly fixed her expression to not reflect that. It wasn't the best time to make fun of Weiss.

"Yeah, but I think we're allowed one free morning, considering the circumstances." She said. "Blake hasn't come back yet. Ruby went looking for her in Vale, or at least that's what I'm assuming… Little pest, she couldn't even leave a note…"

Weiss nodded, her heart and mind slowing down until she could assess the situation properly. _Okay… Number one… Made a big mess of telling Blake my feelings. Number two… Got verbally slapped in the face. Number three… Don't know what my feelings for Blake are._

The only thing she truly knew was that, as hurtful as Blake had been with her words, she had been right. Maybe a bit exaggerated, but right. Looking back, Weiss could see how arrogant she had been; demanding Blake respond to her feelings, just assuming the faunus would be ecstatic about them.

What a fool! Hadn't she learned anything from the last time they had had an explosive argument? Blake had layers, and layers, and layers, and then these layers had layers! She couldn't be predicted, much less pressured into doing anything. She was wise and gorgeous and…

Weiss stopped herself from following that line of thinking, but her heart had already sped up again. Did she really feel that way about Blake? Maybe she was just reacting like a dumb teenager to the faunus' affection for her. But then again, Weiss was _still_ thinking of her in a good light, even after that horrible fight…

Yang watched the heiress quietly for a long time, aware of what she was thinking about. The whole situation made her sad. She didn't know the specifics, but Blake had led a hard life; she deserved to be with someone, and the someone she wanted (or thought she wanted) to be with was Weiss.

And, as much as Yang despised the heiress sometimes, she had always gotten a strange sensation from her, like she was hiding something. Weiss was as prone to scolding and demeaning someone as she was to hug and help them. Her sometimes bad behavior didn't demand she be treated just as badly, but the exact contrary.

The blonde sighed and sat down beside Weiss, patting her on the knee comfortingly. The white-haired girl flinched, but then her posture softened and she looked at her friend helplessly.

"Everything's gonna be okay, Weissy." Yang said. "Ruby's gonna find Blake, she'll bring her back, you'll marry and have a million litters of cute black and white kittens."

"I'm… not sure that's how it works." Weiss noted. "Firstly, we're both girls. I don't need to explain the logistics of that. Secondly, faunus don't have children that are their animal counterparts. They just have little faunus offspring."

"Well, as annoying as that response to my _joke_ was, it shows that you might have done a little bit of research on faunus. Good on you." The blonde gave her a wide smile. "Still, I'm a bit lost. Could you explain the dynamics of lesbian relationships more thoroughly?"

"Xiao Long, I…" Weiss sighed, then allowed herself a small smile. "Well, the first thing you need to know is that…"

* * *

Ruby grumbled as she tapped at her Scroll in frustration, not paying any attention to anyone in front of her as she blitzed through the streets of Vale. More than once she slammed into another person, and they begrudgingly moved her aside while she didn't tear her eyes off her phone.

She was very aware that it was still early in the morning, so everyone at Beacon was in class, including Cinder, but that didn't stop her from texting desperately for help. Cinder had never objected to ignoring a professor to respond to her; the fact that she was now, when Ruby needed her most, was really worrying.

As much as she worried about Cinder, though, she was even more worried about Blake. Ruby had noticed something off about her the past week, but she hadn't been able to pinpoint exactly what it was, and that left her feeling guilty and sad. She was the team leader, and even more importantly, Blake's friend! She should have talked to her before things turned bad.

The redhead groaned and tapped another message furiously. Before she could finish, she once again slammed into someone. That time, the person just uttered an annoyed sound and stood in front of her. Ruby continued to type for a good while, then noticed the shadow over her. Meekly, she looked up, and met eyes with her uncle.

"Well, look who it is!" Qrow's lips curved up in a slight smile, but his eyes shone brightly. To anyone else, he would have seemed mocking or aggravated, but Ruby recognized his joy at seeing her. "Little Ruby Rose, prancing around the city. I _thought_ you had school today…"

"H-hi, uncle! Uh… Class was cancelled today! Uh… Rabid dogs! Horrible, horrible rabid dogs all over the campus!" Ruby exclaimed embarrassedly.

She expected a cluck of his tongue then a slap to the back of her head. Qrow had always been very strict when it came to training and studying, and he wouldn't be happy about her missing class. To her surprise, though, he just rolled his eyes and ruffled her hair.

"Yes, rabid dogs. A dangerous threat to Remnant's most promising youths and battle-hardened instructors." He said. "Really, Ruby? Why are you here?"

"Hey, why are _you_ here?!" She yelled defensively.

"…Ruby, I might be a professor, but I'm also a Huntsman. Sometimes I go on missions, and this one led me here." Qrow explained tiredly. "Answer my question, Red."

"Okay… This is probably going to sound silly…" Ruby rubbed her forehead, trying to find a way to summarize her situation to her uncle. "Two of my teammates, Weiss and Blake, got into a huge argument yesterday. Blake was really hurt, or angry, I don't know… So she ran away. I'm looking for her right now."

Qrow blinked at her, then allowed a smile to spread between his lips. _Of course_ that was her problem. He remembered very well how much trouble he and his team got into in his own days of school.

"That's an acceptable excuse. A leader should always care for her teammates, even if that means missing class." He allowed. "You know, I'm going to the Force right now. Come along, and we can get some help for finding your friend."

Ruby bit her bottom lip, not sure that was the best solution to her problem. Blake wouldn't appreciate having the police and Huntsmen searching for her, considering her hidden faunus identity and previous allegiance to the White Fang.

Still, it would be better to upset Blake than lose her forever, so Ruby murmured her agreement. Qrow nodded and began walking, his niece following close behind.

* * *

Adam leaned against an alley's wall, his chin turned down slightly, giving any passerby the illusion that he was sleeping. In truth, he was fully awake, counting every minute until he was to go to action.

A faint screech to his right alerted his to someone's presence, and he kicked off the wall and spun, his katana already out of its sheath. Its tip lay millimeters away from Mercury's throat, much to his displeasure.

"Nice to see you too." The kicker said dryly.

Adam drew his sword back and examined his colleagues for the day. Both Mercury and Emerald were wearing full face masks and black leather outfits. He wouldn't have recognized them if it hadn't been for their exposed eyes. Cinder was also wearing a similar outfit, but her mask only surrounded her eyes.

"Nice costumes." Adam noted. "Though that mask is really unnecessary. Are you a comic supervillain now, Cinder?"

"Says the guy who also wears a half-mask." Emerald scoffed.

"Well, he has a point. Cinder's covers barely anything. Maybe it would be best if-" Mercury's speech was cut short by the raven-haired girl's glare. "I mean, you suck, Taurus."

Cinder shook her head, ignoring her colleague's banter as she spied out of the alley.

On the other side of the street was the Police Department and Prison, or the Force, as it was more commonly called. While the kingdom had its dedicated prisons, in the capital it was found to be much more effective to have their prisoners next to the headquarters of the police and Huntsmen, especially when they were as dangerous as the White Fang.

That fact would only make their mission harder, and put Cinder in an even tighter spot. She was truly going to tiptoe across a divide between law and crime; good and evil. The worst of it was that she had barely any control over which side she would be standing on in the end.

"Let's revise our plan." She said, deciding to just proceed with the mission and not worry about the end of the day. What would happen, would happen. "We walk inside. Some people will be suspicious of our appearance, so Adam will waste no time in running to free his men. Meanwhile…" She eyes Mercury and Emerald fixedly. "We create a distraction. Aim for any means of communication first; we can't stop reinforcements, but we can limit how many get there and how quickly they're contacted."

"Right." Emerald nodded.

"Locked and loaded." Mercury kicked his own foot and flashed a cocky smile.

Adam didn't offer any words, but his expression was resolute. They started to walk out of the alley, but Cinder blocked them with an arm. She wasn't looking at them when she spoke, but her voice was dead serious.

"Don't hurt any civilians unless strictly necessary."

"Oh, for crying out loud!" Mercury shook his head, then walked ahead, ignoring her arm. "Fucking schoolgirls."

Emerald gave her a weird look, then followed him. Cinder stared at Adam, expecting some snide remark from him. However, he just scoffed and walked past her.

Cinder took a deep breath and followed.

* * *

Blake's left foot tapped slightly against the floor of the Force as she sat on of its benches, holding a newspaper open wide before her to hide her appearance. To anyone else, it seemed like she was reading while waiting to be attended, but in actuality, she hadn't paid attention to a single word of the paper.

A million thoughts swam through her head; thoughts of her current mission, of how everything could go wrong, how she would have to face Adam… But most of her thoughts, she guiltily admitted to herself, were focused on Weiss.

The heiress' timing had been horrendous, and her approach to the situation? Even worse. However, Blake's anger had now mostly faded, and she felt like ripping the newspaper in half and racing back to Beacon, Cinder be damned.

The faunus sighed. If only she could be so courage and smart.

Her earpiece buzzed, and she heard Cinder revising her plan to her colleagues. Blake's back stiffened, expecting bullets and explosions at any moment. The Force continued to be peaceful and normal, though, with its visitors and workers walking around as if nothing was wrong.

" _Don't hurt any civilians unless strictly necessary._ "

Despite her best reasoning, Blake's lips curved into a slight smile. Maybe Cinder was just tricking her; but she dearly hoped that wasn't the case. She had to believe, at least. If Cinder could change, it meant-

"Blake?!"

Blake's heart stilled, and she looked up slowly. Ruby stared at her over the newspapers, eyes wide, and with a faint hint of anger too.

"Ruby." The faunus said, noticing then how dry her throat was. "You shouldn't be here."

" _You_ shouldn't be here!" The redhead protested, crossing her arms stubbornly. Even when she was angry, Ruby tended to show it in childish ways. "I looked everywhere for you. Come on, let's go back to Beacon."

Ruby pulled her up by the arm, making the newspaper fall to the floor. Blake's whole body was tense as she stared at her leader, not having a clue of what to do now.

"Okay, let's _leave_!" She decided, hoping that she could lead Ruby away before Cinder arrived.

As she turned to the exit, her plans shattered. Adam walked through the crowd and away, drawing some curious glances. Cinder and her teammates stood in front of the double doors, scanning the place silently.

" _Don't worry, Emerald. This will be easy."_ Cinder's voice buzzed in Blake's ear. " _Like picking flowers… Picking a_ rose."

Even from such a distance, Blake noticed as Cinder looked at crowd, searching for her response. Then, her eyes met her target, and right beside her, Ruby.

One of the masked criminals raised their arms, two guns appearing on their hands. A warning scream sounded, but it was too late. Bullets flew through the air, shattering glass and ripping through electronics, causing small explosions and short-circuits.

Before Blake could say anything, Ruby blurred from her side and towards the criminals, unfolding her scythe as she went. The faunus cursed under her breath and followed.

The redhead aimed for the already shooting Emerald, but was intercepted by Mercury, who slammed a foot across her stomach. Ruby felt the impact of bullets in the same area, her Aura protecting from serious injuries, but already being severely drained.

"Oh, hey. Schoolgirl." Mercury pointed out with faint surprise.

He kicked again, connecting with Ruby's chin and sending her flying backwards. Mercury followed, intending to continue his assault, but Blake phased in front of him, blocking his kick with her sword and sheath.

" _Another_ schoolgirl?" Mercury scoffed, then gave Cinder an annoyed glance. "Do you mind helping?"

The raven-haired girl looked between the combatants, conflicted, then was hit before she could come to a decision. She slid to the floor, unharmed but dazed. Qrow appeared above her, his black scythe right in front of her nose.

"Give in, lady." He said, his tone low and threatening. "Don't make this any harder than it has to be."

Cinder's eyes narrowed, and she spun, resting her weight on her back as she did. Tendrils of fire swirled around her, forcing the Huntsman to retreat. She jumped to her feet and trust a hand, throwing a flaming barrage towards him.

Qrow sidestepped the projectile and blurred to her side, surprising her with his speed. She barely managed to duck beneath his scythe, then had to jump over it as he brought it back. She kicked against his shoulders, throwing him off balance while throwing another attack.

This time, the fire connected with his chest, but his Aura prevented any harm to him or his clothes. He still stumbled back, however, which allowed her time to conjure her swords.

Meanwhile, Ruby and Blake fought against Mercury, trying to overcome his defenses. They didn't manage to, but they also weren't hurt at all, for he didn't dare counter attack.

"Blake?" Ruby called softly as they took a brief moment to breathe and examined their opponent. "Isn't that… Cinder's teammate?"

Blake looked at her friend, hoping that her guilt wasn't showing. By the way Ruby's eyes narrowed, she guessed it had.

Finally an alarm sounded, and a minute later, the Force was flooded by escaping prisoners, and they wasted no time in running for the exit. Ruby and Blake dived to the side to avoid being stampeded by them.

Qrow wasn't so lucky, having been closer to the doors. He disengaged from Cinder, but she took advantage of it and attacked, landing a flaming slash to his side. He tried to stumble out of the way, but the best he could do was to let himself be slammed and thrown out by the running convicts.

Cinder was only slightly luckier, managing to make it out of the movement with only a few scrapes and slashes. She stumbled to the side, very near Ruby, Blake and Mercury, and looked up.

She met with silver, shocked eyes. Cinder's world went silent, only her heartbeat echoing on her ears. She moved a hand slowly to her face, feeling between her eyes… The mask was cracked in the middle, and as her fingers touched it, it broke and fell to the floor.

" _Cinder_?" Ruby said. She was gripping Crescent Rose so tightly, her fingers had lost all color. In her face flashed a million emotions at once.

"Ruby." Cinder uttered, reaching a hand forward. The redhead took a step back, her expression finally settling on fear and anger. "Don't. Please, I can explain. I-I…"

She didn't know what she was going to say, and she had no time to think about it as her eyes wandered over to Blake, and behind her.

"Blake, watch out!" Cinder exclaimed.

There was a split second when Blake looked at her in confusion, then she fell forward, screaming in pain. There was a slash on her back, dealt by Emerald, who looked towards Cinder and Mercury.

"Let's _go_!" The green-haired thief urged, then ran over Blake towards the exit.

Mercury followed, only stopping briefly on the door to look back at Cinder, who gave no reaction. He growled and stormed out of the building.

Cinder tried to approach Blake, but Ruby turned towards her suddenly and glared at her. The Dust warrior took a step back, scared and hurt by how much hate had showed in the redhead's eyes.

"Blake, I'm taking you back to Beacon!" She said, crouching quickly to take her teammate in her arms.

"I'll help-" Cinder started, but Ruby gave her no mind, passing beside her in a red blur.

Cinder curled her fists and followed, already feeling the worst consequences of her actions.

* * *

When she finally reached Beacon, Cinder was breathless and shaking. She stopped and leaned against a statue, closing her eyes briefly.

The respite lasted less than a minute, for suddenly an explosion rocked against the side of the statue, throwing Cinder out of balance and away from it. The raven-haired girl didn't let her exhaustion get the best of her, though, standing up immediately to access the situation.

Yang marched towards her, gauntlets whirling around her fists. Her eyes had turned red, and Cinder could swear her hair was catching fire. A bit behind her was Weiss, holding her rapier firmly. Her rage was more reserved, but perhaps it was that much dangerous because of it.

"Yang, stop." Cinder said. "We can talk-"

"I knew it!" Yang roared, dashing towards her. "You fucker!"  
Her fist connected with Cinder's stomach, and she stumbled back. The world spun around Cinder, leaving her dazed and helpless. Another fist connected with her back, and she was thrown to the ground.

The raven-haired girl gritted her teeth and turned out, raising a hand suddenly. Yang jumped out of reach of the fire, even more furious. Before the blonde could exact her revenge, however, Weiss stepped between them.

Cinder hadn't interacted much with the heiress; they had traded a few words, and she only presumed to have earned a good standing on her eyes. Now, however, she knew exactly how Weiss felt. She would take Yang's hatred over hers if she could choose.

"Hey." Weiss crouched beside her, making unflinching eye contact. "Do you know what you've done?" She asked in an innocent voice. "I only ask to make sure you… _understand_."

"You hurt my partner. You hurt my… Blake." The heiress spun her rapier, then pointed it Cinder's stomach. "Do you understand?"

"I'm _sorry_." Cinder whispered, completely drained of energy.

"I don't care if you're sorry." Weiss said coldly. "I'm going to hurt _you._ "

Cinder closed her eyes and waited for the steel of the rapier to enter her. However, she only heard a soft gasp from Weiss, then the clanking as something metallic fell to the floor.

She opened her eyes and saw Weiss being gently pushed away by a new figure; a swordswoman with a Grimm mask and red and black dress. Yang's eyes had turned back to violet as she stared, shocked, at the stranger.

"Who are _you_?" Weiss hissed. "One of her miserable lackeys?! _Release_ me!"

"I'm a friend." The woman answered simply. "And it's not your place to hurt her, though I understand your desire to. I'll do it for you, if that's any consolation."

The heiress allowed herself to relax slightly, but her eyes still flew to her rapier, far away on the ground. The stranger must have taken notice of that, for she reached it and tossed it to Weiss, who took it cautiously.

A black blur reached the front of the School, stopping right beside the mysterious woman. Qrow appeared in a shower of black petals, his scythe resting against his shoulder casually.

"Uncle?" Yang called, feeling even more confused. "What are you doing here?"

"Hey, Yellow." He greeted briefly, then looked to the swordswoman. "I'll take it from here, if you want."

She nodded and took a step back, reaching for her belt. Before she could, Yang closed the distance between them with a dash and gripped her wrist.

"Let me go." The stranger said. It wasn't a threat, but more of an honest request, as if she feared what would help it was she was denied.

" _No_!" Yang growled indignantly. "I want an explanation!"

The woman looked towards Qrow, who sighed tiredly and nodded slightly. She was still for a moment, then reached for her mask with her free hand. Slowly, she removed it, revealing a pale, youthful face, marked by violet eyes.

"Yang… We have a lot to talk about."

* * *

 **...**

 **Feel free to send ninjas after me. Or dinosaurs. Or ninja dinosaurs. I deserve the worst for leaving you with that cliffhanger.**

 **I'd like to point out that writing Qrow and Raven here is pretty fucking weird for me. Their depictions in _Falling Roses Blah Blah_ is _far_ different from _Days of Spring_. Mostly, I think, is because I'm following canon much more strictly here, while in _DoS_ Qrow is Summer's brother, Raven is not badass-whatever-she-is material _..._ So I'm worried that sometimes they'll act weirdly. I'll try to treat them as totally different characters from the ones from the _Seasons_ universe. ( _Seasonsverse?_ Ooooh...)**

 **I'm ecstatic about your guys' response to the Monochrome thing. I took both good and bad opinions in account, and hopefully the progress of the story will help with that element (it would, anyway, that's how periodic stories work, but I still appreciate the input.). Also, Falling Petals will be much more apparent now (or the sinking of it, right? RIGHT? haaaah awwww)**

 **Cliffhanger-sized-thanks to everyone who reviewed, followed and favorited _Falling Roses Burn Brighter_!**

 **-Zeroan**


	9. Extinguish

"Yang… We have a lot to talk about."

The phrase was followed by a long moment of silence. Yang stared into the woman's violet eyes, her mind making the connection instantly, yet she refused to believe it.

Weiss looked from one to the other, having not even the slightest idea of what was transpiring, but knowing it was better to not interrupt. Qrow seemed uncomfortable with the situation, but he kept his gaze focused on Cinder, who was still trying to regain her senses on the ground.

Before anything could be said, the sound of a pair of footsteps and a cane hitting the ground reached them. Ozpin appeared beside Qrow, his eyes fixed on Cinder. Glynda followed close behind him, gripping her wand tightly, ready for any sign of trouble.

"How interesting." The headmaster said casually. "I don't quite know who you are, but you've caused some trouble already, haven't you?" His eyes narrowed dangerously. "Qrow, help me get her to our cells. Fill me in on the way."

Qrow nodded and stepped near Cinder, gripping her by the arm without warning. She didn't protest at all, letting herself be dragged up. There was no sign of emotion in her face; it was like she had shut down completely.

The scythe-wielding Huntsman led her away, and Ozpin and Glynda followed him. Weiss watched them go silently, glaring furiously at Cinder's back. When they were gone from her sight, she looked back at Yang.

"I'm going to check on Blake and Ruby." She said softly. "…Be safe…"

"Thanks, Weiss." The blonde replied, not even looking at her friend.

Weiss gave the stranger one last careful glance, then walked towards the school.

Even now that they were alone, neither could muster the will to speak up. The stranger's face reflected many feelings: sadness, frustration, fear. Yang, on her part, was in too much shock to talk.

"Do you…" The swordswoman finally said. "Do you know who I am?"

"Raven. Yeah." Yang muttered. "I… I always dreamed of this day… The day I got to meet my mother." Her eyes flashed red for a split second. "Why am I not happy?"

"You're angry, I understand. Let me explain-"

" _Why_ did you leave me?!" The blonde interrupted, her hands curling into fists without her noticing.

Raven flinched. She had survived years of hardship and isolation. She had faced swarms of Grimm, the vilest of men, and came out unharmed. Yet nothing had prepared her for this – her own daughter's ire.

"I had to leave. I didn't want to, but someone had to." She said, knowing that explanation would never be acceptable. "I wanted so badly to be with you, but we're talking about the lives of thousands of innocent people. It was never a choice, Yang."

"Don't say my name. Y-you have n-no right-" Yang paused, too shaky to speak properly.

Raven saw the glimmering of tears and reached a hand forward, only for Yang to step back, then turn around and take off in a sprint, not saying another word. Her mother closed her eyes, finding the sight too painful to look at.

* * *

Weiss stood near the doorway to the infirmary room, feeling helpless for one of the few times in her life. Blake was lying down on one of the beds, her face constantly contorting into grimaces as the pain of her wounds flared through her body. Meanwhile, Ruby was almost a blur as she paced around the room, not uttering a single word.

After what felt like a century, the heiress's nerve broke and she got in her partner's way and held her by the shoulders. Ruby squirmed, trying to break free from her grip as if her life depended on it, but Weiss held firm.

"Ruby." She called worriedly. "Ruby, you dolt, just _stop_!"

The redhead looked at her, her body slowly coming to a halt. At the same time, tears flooded her eyes. Without thought or consideration, Weiss embraced her, laying a hand on the back of her head comfortingly. Ruby buried her face on her partner's shoulder and sobbed quietly.

"It's okay, Ruby." Weiss whispered, feeling very inadequate for the task of comforting her leader. She didn't know if crying was good or bad – she had never been in such a position before. "It's okay. I'm here. Blake's here. You just need to stay calm."

Ruby's crying didn't intensify, so Weiss assumed she at least hadn't done anything wrong. The heiress continued to hold her partner, shooting Blake a discreet look as the faunus tried to hide her pain.

Finally, Yang entered the room, visibly shaking and with tears trailing down her cheeks. One look at Ruby, though, and she wiped them off and took her from Weiss' arms to hold in her own.

The heiress sighed in relief and gave Blake a shaky smile, but the faunus was in too much pain to reply in any way whatsoever.

"She'll be okay, right?" Yang asked worriedly.

"Yeah, the nurses said there was no permanent injury." Weiss told. "But she'll be in bed for a week, just to make sure her Aura heals her properly."

"Well, that's one good thing." The blonde sighed. "Compared to everything else, at least."

Ruby retreated from Yang's hug, her shoulders still shaking and taking heavy breaths, but much calmer than before. She looked at each of her teammates silently, then shook her head.

"Okay. Cinder's evil." She stated, more to herself than anyone else. "Evil. Okay."

"That's putting it rather simply." Weiss said. "We have no idea who she _actually_ is, right? Evil might not even make justice to-" She paused, realizing that was probably not the most sensible approach to the situation. "Cinder's evil."

"I always knew it." Yang muttered. "Should have trusted my sisterly instincts…"

Despite the severity of the matter, the three found a weird type of peace in their agreement – until Blake spoke up.

"She's… She's not evil."

"Blake, her friend almost maimed you. She's with the White Fang – and whatever view you have on it, we all know they're not good company." Yang pointed out.

"She's- She's not with them!" Blake winced, determined to get through the pain so she could finish what she had to say. "We – Cinder and I – we were going to stop that White Fang plan. She had every chance to get rid of me before it. Not evil."

"Wait, _what_?!" Her partner almost shouted, her eyes turning red in her anger. "You _knew_ she was a criminal and you didn't tell us? Are you insane?! She was dating my little sister!"

"She's not-"

"I trusted you, Blake." Yang interrupted, her voice barely audible.

She turned to the door and walked away, dragging Ruby gently by the arm. The redhead looked back at Blake, and the look on her face – so _hurt_ – cut even deeper than Yang's anger.

Blake looked at Weiss, searching for any sign of understanding, but the heiress betrayed no emotion.

"I'm sorry." The faunus muttered.

"I know." Weiss said quietly. "You'll be okay alone, right?"

"…Yes." Blake lied, not wanting to make her teammate even more miserable.

Weiss nodded coldly and walked away.

Blake closed her eyes, wishing she could just sleep and never wake up again.

* * *

"So, for how long have you known there was a dangerous criminal infiltrated in my school?"

Qrow answered Ozpin's pointed question with a wolfish grin, even as he shook Cinder a bit too forcefully in front of him. They entered an elevator up Ironwood's tower, where she would be held prisoner.

"Some time." He said. "Didn't know much, though. Raven isn't exactly the sharing type."

"Clearly she isn't." Glynda agreed bitterly, following them inside the elevator. "I thought she was dead."

"Well, it's supposed to be that way. Secret mission, you know?"

"Humph."

Cinder's eyes flashed with anger, her showing emotion for the first time since her capture. The way they were talking so nonchalantly while taking her to prison woke an old fury in her. She was Cinder Fall, not some lowly robber – she could burn them to a crisp with the flick of a wrist!

Somehow, Ozpin must have noticed her agitation, for he gripped her by the back of her clothing and lead her forward forcefully out of the elevator.

"Meet me back at Beacon." He ordered calmly. "I can handle her the rest of the way."

"Stay safe, sir." Glynda said, knowing better than to argue with her boss. He could be as stubborn as a mule when he wanted to.

Qrow stepped forward, but she held him before he could exit the elevator. His expression was of obvious displeasure as the door closed and they started to descend.

Almost as soon as they were alone, Cinder broke free from the headmaster's grasp and spun, bringing one open hand in a chop towards his neck. Then she winced and stepped back, holding her aching fingers. Ozpin brought his cane back down and smiled, as if he found her effort amusing.

"Please, Miss Fall, let's be civil here. You're tired, and I'm a skilled Huntsman." He requested. "Even at your best, you would have a hard time defeating me."

"You're awfully arrogant for a headmaster." She said bitterly.

"And you're awfully young for an assassin."

Her fingers still hurt, as if they had collided with something as heavy as metal. She looked towards his cane, taking into consideration how unusual it was that he carried it around everywhere when he was still young. A weapon disguised in plain sight, and he had the speed and skill to repel any of aggression from her. Resisting whatever he had planned for her would be futile.

Cinder lowered her hands and looked away, declaring her surrender wordlessly. To her surprise, Ozpin didn't subdue her, but only stepped beside her while waving for her to follow. She paused for an instant, then went after him.

They were high up in the building – which she assumed was General Ironwood's center of operations in Vale – on a long circular hallway. The wall to the right was made solely of glass, allowing them to see the entirety of the city below.

"Have you ever thought about how many people are living their lives down there?" Ozpin asked casually. "Driving to their jobs, taking classes… Laughing, loving. It's easy to forget there are so many people besides us, and that their lives mean as much as our own."

"No. I've never thought about it." Cinder replied curtly, knowing very well that he was trying to make some sort of point. She might be outmatched in strength and energy, but she wouldn't allow herself to be outsmarted.

"Well, there's nothing wrong with that." The headmaster stated. "I just find the thought fascinating. And, perhaps, a bit disturbing. There is another truth, you see, buried beneath the wonders of this city."

He paused to look through the glass. Cinder stopped too, but kept her eyes trained on her feet, refusing to play along his game.

"Injustice, Miss Fall, is this world's ugliest truth." Ozpin said. "For every student, there is an illiterate. For every businessman, there is a beggar. For every Huntsman, there is a criminal." He paused. "I dearly wished it wasn't so. That one could be whoever they wanted, despite all circumstances. As it is, the flip of a coin at your birth might be all that decides the rest of your life."

Despite her best intentions, she found herself looking through the glass. Even from so high, she could make out the tiny specks of people in the streets, in the parks, moving from one place to another with no great worries on their minds.

"A coin flip. Mere luck." Ozpin looked at her. "Then again, some people believe there is no such thing as luck… Or that we make our own luck."

Cinder said nothing in response. After a moment, she turned her head to face him, her expression cold and distant.

"Are you ready to imprison me, now?" She asked.

"Hmm. Yes, I believe so." He said, and she couldn't tell if he was disappointed by her response to his monologue. "Do you promise to behave?"

"Yes, professor. I would hate to get detention." Cinder grinned.

Ozpin smiled too, then resumed to walk. In the reflection of the glass, he saw Cinder following behind him, looking down at the city somberly.

* * *

Glynda was rather quick to part ways with Qrow once they got to the school. Ever since his days as a student, when she taught him, they had had a… rocky relationship, which included several complaints about her _not knowing what's doing_ and him _being an arrogant pest_. Because of that, he didn't complain at all when she left.

He was planning to see how his nieces were holding up. He didn't know exactly what Ruby's connection to Cinder Fall was (he had a good idea, but he refused to accept it as the truth), but Yang most certainly be either breaking down _or_ breaking everything around her.

Most probably both, he thought.

Still, it wouldn't hurt to call Raven before searching for his nieces. He had enough experience to know not to dive blindly into nasty situations when it came to women.

He wasn't surprised when she didn't answer his call.

Qrow sighed and turned to search for the dorms, only to see Ruby and Yang walking nearby. They were almost glued to each other, and if he were asked which one looked worse, he wouldn't know how to answer.

"Hey!" He called, running to catch up to them. "Girls?"

They stopped walking and turned. Ruby's eyes strayed to his feet, while Yang glared at him sharply.

"So…" Qrow realized it maybe would have been better to stay away from the older sister. "Should I be your punching bag?"

"You knew, right?" Surprisingly enough, Yang's gaze softened, as if she had already burned through all her anger. "You knew about my mother all time."

"Yes, I did. I'm truly sorry, Yang." He said. "I never wanted her to go, but she insisted. You might not know it, but my sister is determined. She… She has a strong sense of duty. It took weeks to convince her to at least let me stay in contact with her."

Yang shrugged. She couldn't make sense of half his reasoning, but she was too tired, emotionally and physically, to interrogate him. That would be a task for another day – when her anger and energy were fully recharged.

Ruby looked up at her uncle, and his heart throbbed. Her eyes were always shining with joy and enthusiasm, no matter the circumstance, but now they were filled with sadness.

"Uncle?" She muttered. "Where are they keeping Cinder?"

"She's… She's in Ironwood's tower." He told.

"Can I see her?"

"I don't think that's a good idea, Little Red." Qrow said hesitantly, not wanting to hurt her feelings, but knowing it was for the best.

"You let my sister see her, or I'll make your _face_ a little red." Yang threatened, mustering back some of her fierceness.

Qrow looked away, tapping his foot warily as he considered his next course of action. Either he let Ruby talk to Cinder, which he was certain would result in her getting hurt, or he refused and leave her feeling bad, possibly resulting in her growing bitter of him.

"You two are the most troublesome nieces a man could ask for." He said. "Come on, kiddos. Let's go before Ironwood gets there to irk us."

* * *

"So, you has anything interesting happened out there during the last month? I mean, _besides_ you getting involved with a schoolgirl and breaking her heart. Well, I guess that last part was only today, huh? I am surprised, though, that you chose Red over any of the others. I figured the kitty was more your type, or even the Schnee – that rich, authority image doesn't get you worked up?

Cinder groaned, burying her face on her hands. When all that happened to her was her being imprisoned in a tight metal cage, she was relieved. Incarceration was something she could handle easily. It would have allow her time to think clearly, and maybe she could have convinced her captors that she should be released.

And then Roman discovered she was in the cage next to him, and he started talking. He would have never had the courage to taunt her when they were both free, but now, with both of them behind bars (figuratively. There were no bars in their cages, only a metal door), there seemed to be no end to his blabbering.

"For fuck's sake, Roman." She managed to say, hoping he would hear her through the metal. "I really don't need your shit right now."

"Ooh, watch that mouth." He chuckled. "Stressful day, isn't it? Don't worry, dear, we'll be great friends during our time of trouble. Eventually, I will be rescued, though, and you'll be alone. They're not going to free you, I suppose, considering how you _betrayed_ us…"

The only thing stopping Cinder from trying to melt her way out of the cage was the fact that her escape would put an end to any chance of her being redeemed. For now, the only thing she could do was ignore Roman and wait for someone else to arrive.

"Why Red, though?" He started again. "She's pretty, I'll grant you that much. But her personality and… Ugh, unending cheerfulness… She's just too-" He paused. "Oh, hey. Footsteps!"

 _Oh, thank the heavens!_ Cinder screamed mentally, then realized footsteps might not be a good thing for her. _Well, it's better than Roman's nonsense._

She was proven wrong when her cage door lowered, revealing Ruby standing in front of it. Her arms were crossed tightly, silver eyes glaring at her. Cinder gulped and shrunk in her seat.

"Ruby." She said quietly. "You… came to see me…?"

"Don't get so happy." The redhead warned, her tone of voice unnaturally bitter. "I'm not here for _you_. I… I want to know who you are. That's all." She closed her eyes for an instant, and when she opened them again, they were filled with cold anger. "And if you lie to me… I have my scythe right here. There's no one here to help you, and, sincerely, I don't think anyone would really want to stop me. Not even Torchwick, right?"

"Damn, Red." Roman whistled. "I take back everything I said about you."

Ruby didn't divert her gaze from Cinder. The raven-haired girl stared back for a few seconds, then looked away.

"I'm a… mercenary, I guess." She said. "I do… bad stuff, Ruby. Things you'd find abhorrent, so I'd rather not-"

"Say it. Tell me what you do." Ruby ordered.

"Theft, sabotage, infiltration…" Cinder paused. "Murder."

Ruby felt like walking away right then, not sure if she could her stomach could hold. One hand flew to her scythe, and she gripped it so tightly, her knuckle turned white. She took a deep breath, then spoke again.

"And all of that for money?"

"No. Not for the money." Cinder refuted immediately.

"Why, then?" Ruby asked, disgust creeping her voice. "Because you like it?"

"I don't like it!" The criminal exclaimed, jumping to her feet. "I just- I don't know _why_ , okay? It's just what I do – what I _did_. I'm not that way anymore. Not since-"

"Shut. Up!" The redhead shouted back, tears emerging in her eyes. "You're horrible, Cinder! I can't believe I liked you! I can't…" Her shoulders dropped. "Did you ever actually like me? Or was that just a trick, too?"

"No…" Cinder whispered. "I would never do anything to hurt you, Ruby. I… I love-"

Before she could finish, Ruby slammed her fist against her cage, making its door rise back up, enclosing her in darkness. Cinder heard the flurry of footsteps fading away, and slowly, she dropped to the ground, touching her forehead to the cold floor and breaking into sobs.

* * *

Somehow, Adam managed to look even more taciturn than ever as he guided Mercury and Emerald through the hallways of his hideout (as he had called it, refusing to give any more details). He had one hand on his katana's hilt, as if he expected to be assaulted.

Mercury had a cocky grin on his face, happy to finally see what this place was all about. Emerald, however, had a lifeless expression. She made no other action other than following Adam and avoiding collision with any passerby.

Finally, they stopped before a set of dark double doors. Adam looked at them over his shoulder.

"You're about to meet the head of the White Fang, so I recommend you keep quiet and let me do the talking. She won't be happy about Cinder's betrayal. If you as much as _annoy_ her, well…" He shook his head. "Best of luck to you."

He opened the doors and walked in. Mercury and Emerald shared a worried glance, then followed.

To their surprise, they found themselves in a rather luxurious office. To the side were a couch and huge television, as well as a stand filled with the most diverse books. To the other side was a large window, with a vision to the entire city below. It would have been easy to mistake it for someone's home, if it weren't for the desk and chair posted right after the entrance.

A woman was sitting there, reading through a stack of papers absent-mindedly. She had dark hair that fell to the middle of her back and around her shoulders. Her eyes were a rich amber color, which send chills over Emerald's spine when they looked up at her.

The woman's eyes wandered from Emerald, to Mercury, and finally to Adam. They were sharp and dangerous – the three knew that she would notice even the smallest movement of a finger. She stood, not as tall as Adam, but commanding even more presence.

"Welcome back." She spoke, her voice strangely melodious. "I have heard of the White Fang's escapees spreading over the city already… The Force is in scrambles, trying to recapture them. They will never succeed, of course."

"Yes. I wasn't able to get all of them out. The window of time for our move was too narrow. I would say at least eighty percent are free, however." Adam told dutifully.

"A job well done." She gave him a little smirk, then looked at Emerald. "But… I have noticed there is a most important piece missing…"

Emerald gulped, gathering the courage to explain the situation. Before she could, Mercury spoke up, much to her surprise and gratitude.

"Cinder betrayed us. She grew attached to a student, and when the moment of truth arrived… She abandoned us." He said. "I take full responsibility for not taking action before her treason."

"Oh, well. She is a young woman, prone to fall victim to love." The woman shook her head sadly. "And she had such potential…" She walked by Emerald, taking slow steps around her, laying a soft touch on her shoulder. "It is admirable that you stayed loyal to me despite your colleague's leaving. You will be greatly rewarded."

"T-thank you, Miss…" Emerald stammered, desperately trying to deduce the woman's name.

"No Miss. I hate when people direct me with these titles… Call me Mira."

"Thank you, Mira."

The White Fang's leader walked back to her desk and waved them off. The three, even Adam, practically bolted out of the room.

Mira sat on the desk, a somber expression on her expression.

"Such potential…" She raised a hand in front of her face. A flame came to life, hovering above her palm. It burned in several different colors – from red, to yellow, to blue, to violet – then she closed her hand, making it fade instantly. "Extinguished."

 **END OF ACT I**

* * *

 **...**

 **Fuck it, there Acts now, okay? Okay? Okay. This was the first of three. It doesn't really matter, I just think it's cool to have Acts.**

 **Anyway, I hope you guys don't mind the OC. She's the only OC in the whole story, so I'll be surprised if someone's actually bummed out by her inclusion, but hey, you never know.**

 **And sorry for the vagueness of Raven stuff. Her story _will_ be addressed fully, with details and all the care in the world. This just wasn't the chapter for that. Considering last chapter's cliffhanger, I understand if anybody's pissed off.**

 **I'm super excited about your guys opinions on this chapter - particularly about Ozpin's little speech and Mira. And, you know what? Considering this is the end of Act I, I feel like I have to thank you all for being so supportive with the feedback. Whether it be constructive criticism or simple flattery, I love reading through it! And the only way for me to pay you back is by, well, writing more stuff, and then you can give even more feedback. It's a vicious cycle, and everybody wins!**

 **Annoying-Torchwick-sized thanks to everyone who reviewed, followed and favorited _Falling Roses Burn Brighter!_**

 **-Zeroan**


	10. Caged

**ACT II**

Cinder had made many mistakes in the past.

She had stolen countless riches with no desire for their wealth. She had lied her way into places never meant for her. She had murdered both the innocent and the damned.

She had fallen hopelessly in love with someone she never could be with.

But she had to admit to herself that agreeing to play a game with Roman Torchwick was the worst mistake in her life.

"No, it's big. Actually, it can't be measured with any system known to mankind." He said smugly, his voice echoing on his cage's walls before it reached her ears.

"So, it's not a person. It's not an object. It isn't fictional…" Cinder frowned. She was very aware of how silly it was to play _Twenty Questions_ with _him_ , of all people, but a week of isolation on one of the world's most secure prisons had taken a toll on her. She would do anything to stray her thoughts from Ruby. "Is it a feeling?"

"Oh, finally! You're getting closer." Roman declared. "Too bad it took you fifteen questions. You're going to be really specific if you want to get the answer right."

"Is it how annoyed I am at you?" She asked pointedly, glaring at his direction, even though he couldn't see her.

"No. Sixteen."

"Is it how annoyed _you_ are at _me_?"

"No, but you're getting _really_ close!"

She rested her head against the wall behind her, racking her brain for any possible answers. After a minute of consideration, she sighed.

"I give up. What is it?"

"It's the disdain I feel for you!" Roman answered cheerfully. "Seriously, I do hate you. It was bad enough that you kept bossing me around before, but then you betrayed our cause for _nothing_."

Cinder opened her mouth to snap at him, but it just hung open. His statement angered her to no end, but she couldn't find a reasonable counter to it. What _had_ she betrayed him for? Breaking Ruby's heart, ruining their mission at Beacon, and being thrown in prison?

"I hate this game." She stated coldly.

"Not as much as I hate you." Roman said. She didn't to see him to know he had the widest smile on his face.

"You would never dare say something like that if I were free."

"I would, actually. I can tell you've gone soft, Cinder. You wouldn't do _anything_ to me."

Cinder's fingers closed around the edge of her seat, the metal turning red where it made contact with her skin. If she wanted to, she could melt her way out of the cage and make Roman regret every little infernal taunt he had subjected her with. She could just imagine the feeling of his bones cracking under her touch, his pained screams fading until there was no strength left in him…

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, emptying her mind of those horrible thoughts. Violence wasn't the way out of her cage.

"Come on, Miss Fall-in-love-with-the-enemy!" Roman sang. "It's your turn!"

"Okay." She thought for a few seconds. "I've got it."

"Is it a person?"

"Yes."

"Is it a girl?"

"Yes."

"Is it Ruby Rose?"

"…Go to hell, Roman."

* * *

"Stupid… Cinder!"

The whole of team Juniper covered their ears as Ruby let out a high-pitched scream and brought her scythe down on one of the gym's target dummies. The blade pierced its right shoulder, and the redhead's lips curved in a disturbingly wide smile as she examined it.

"I'm gonna hack some stuff here then kiss a random girl! Oh, it's so funny, she's so clueless!" She stuck out her tongue at the dummy, then pulled Crescent Rose back. Its arm flew right off its socket and towards Ren, who had barely enough time to duck under it. "Who's laughing now?"

Juniper shared a lot of doubtful looks, silently trying to decide who would intervene before Ruby completely annihilated her imaginary ex-girlfriend. After a few seconds, Jaune was confronted by his teammate's collective stare.

"Why _me_?" He whined quietly.

"You know her better than any of us. She needs a friend, Jaune." Pyrrha whispered, sidestepping a flying leg.

"You're our team leader." Ren added, swatting away a hand before it struck him.

"And she's _crazy_! I'm not getting near her!" The fact that _Nora_ found Ruby too insane to deal with only made Jaune more fearful of his task. "Do it, or I'll break your legs!"

The blond boy gulped, having witnessed Nora's breaking of legs with his own eyes. He wondered if Dove's right knee had ever gone back to its former angle.

With a deep breath and a pat on the back by Pyrrha, Jaune turned to Ruby's direction and walked towards her. Hesitantly, he tapped her on the shoulder, then immediately raised his arms, as if he expected her to try to lope his head off.

Ruby looked over her shoulder, becoming very confused by how afraid and worried her friends looked.

"What's up, Jaune?" She asked.

"You." He blurted out, making his teammates cringe. "I mean, you're kinda… destroying that dummy."

"So?" She looked at the dummy – or more accurately, the few pieces of woods that were its remains. "The school has lots of these."

"Well, it's not about the dummy itself… It's about you speaking to it as if it were Cinder and then tearing it to pieces." He explained. "And, well, that's the third one you've done that with."

"So?" She repeated, as if she didn't really get the point of what he was saying. "Everyone deals with break ups differently. Some people cry, others destroy stuff. What's wrong with the way I'm dealing?"

She moved on to the next target dummy with quick steps – too quick. Coupled with the fact that she refused to make eye contact with him, it was clear to Jaune that she wasn't, in fact, _dealing_ in any meaningful way.

"I get it that you feel like destroying stuff, Ruby, but I don't think that's the way you need to deal with… you know." Jaune rubbed his arms self-consciously. He was actually pretty familiar with this kind of situation. It came with having seven sisters, he presumed. "I think… I think you need to slow down."

"Slow down?" Ruby finally looked at him, and suddenly he felt a lot more like Target-Dummy-Jaune than Helpful-Guy-Friend-Jaune. "I don't want to slow down! I wanna destroy stuff, I wanna keep doing it until I don't feel this… stupid… _feeling_!" She dropped her scythe and gestured incoherently with her arms. "If I slow down, I'm just gonna… Gonna…"

There was a glimmer of tears in her eyes, but before he could do anything about it, she picked her weapon up and darted out of the gym. Jaune's shoulders dropped and he walked back to his teammates, feeling like the worst friend ever.

"You did the best you could, Jaune." Pyrrha offered kindly. "Maybe she just needs time."

Ren patted him on the shoulder and nodded. Their support was enough to make Jaune smile despite his disappointment.

"Yeah, _right_. You sucked, Jaune!" Nora exclaimed cheerfully. "No wonder you don't have a girlfriend."

Jaune sulked too much at the remark to notice Pyrrha's intense glaring at their lunatic teammate.

* * *

Light flooded the infirmary room, waking Blake up. She winced at the sudden brightness, turning to the side in an attempt to shy away from it.

"Sorry. I thought you were awake already. You aren't the heaviest of sleepers, as I recall."

A smile crept on Blake's face as she recognized Weiss's voice and forgot about the previous annoyance. She forced herself upright and focused her weary vision on the heiress, who had a platter of food on her hands.

"Let me help you." Weiss said quietly, putting the platter down and stepping to the side of her bed. She rearranged the pillows so they formed a pillar against the wall behind Blake. "Is that good?"

"Yeah… Thanks, Weiss." Blake muttered, then eyed the platter of food, amused by the sight of fish and milk. "And thanks for the food, too."

"Well, somebody's gotta do it."

Blake nodded silently. She hadn't seen Ruby and Yang since she revealed her knowledge of Cinder's identity, and she understood perfectly well that she deserved it. Weiss had taken up the duty of caring for her, bringing food and checking with the nurses for any problems, and she tried to pass it for only that – a duty.

The farce was very noticeable, though, what with Weiss only bringing her favorite foods and actually staying for a good while to talk with her. It was the first time they had spent time together, with none of her teammates or Juniper around too, and both were surprised by how relaxing it was, considering their previous history. They had never touched on their most recent argument, though.

"I mean it, Weiss." Blake gave her a sincere smile. "You didn't have to do any of this. I would understand if you just left me alone here."

Weiss opened her mouth to answer with some sharp retort or something similar, but she froze, staring at her teammate's smile.

"I- Well, that's what friends are for." She said, very aware of how lame that phrase sounded.

"Is that what we are?" Blake asked quietly. "Friends?"

"What else would we be?" Weiss answered quickly.

"Sworn enemies, probably. You know… Me, faunus. You, Schnee." The brunette clucked her tongue. "But we've gotten over that hurdle already, I guess."  
The heiress nodded and sat down on a chair beside the bed. The platter laid in Blake's lap, untouched. Weiss' heartbeat quickened, knowing where this conversation lead to.

"Yes, we've gone over that." She managed to say, though her throat felt unusually dry.

"I'm… I'm sorry I brought that up when…" Blake paused, not knowing how to call their last conflict. She decided to just move on before their talk became too awkward. "It was stupid, and hypocritical. I'm always going on about equality, then I go and demean because you are a Schnee. I'm really sorry."

"It's okay. It was much better than my long tirades about _how the White Fang are murderers and thieves_!" Weiss smiled shakily, trying to lighten the mood, though she wasn't sure if she was experienced enough in that department. "Also, you were really stressed, right? What with keeping Cinder's secret and all that."

"That sucked too." Blake muttered, feeling like the worst person in the world.

"Hey! I said _it's okay_!" The heiress sat up straight and forced a solemn expression. "You are officially forgiven, Blake Belladonna."

The faunus smiled again, happy that Weiss, at least, was able to move past her wrongs so fast. She would still give Ruby and Yang all the time in the world, but she was happy to not have to be alone for so long.

Blake turned and began to eat her food. Weiss leaned back on her chair, sighing silently. She was both happy and disappointed that their conversation was over. They hadn't even mentioned the reason why they had actually fought, and she wasn't sure how to feel about it.

"Weiss…" The brunette spoke without looking at her. "Do you really have feelings for me?"

Weiss gasped and straightened so abruptly that her chair almost fell to the side. Despite the seriousness of her question, Blake couldn't help but be amused by the reaction.

"I-I uh, well, you know…" The heiress stammered. Her father would have slapped her on the back of her head if he ever witnessed something like that. "I… Think so? Do you have… feelings for me?"

"Yes." Blake answered firmly.

She took her fork to her mouth while Weiss stared at her. Then again. And again. The white-haired girl felt like snatching the platter and throwing it out the window.

"So?!" Weiss exclaimed, cringing at her voice crack.

"I don't know." Blake laid her fork down and looked at Weiss.

The heiress's agitation died down at that instant. By the way Blake had been speaking, she had assumed she didn't give the matter that much importance, but the way was staring at her now… Blake was as unsure and afraid as she was.

"Maybe…" Weiss cleared her throat. "Maybe we could go on a date…?"

"Yeah." Blake nodded. "That would be nice."

"Okay."

"Okay."

They looked away from each other, and because of that, both missed the other's ecstatic smiles. After a while, Blake resumed her eating, and Weiss sat by her side in pleasant silence.

Just as Blake finished her meal, the door to the room opened and Yang stepped in, a dutiful expression on her face.

"Ozpin's calling for all of us." She said emotionlessly. "Can she walk?"

Blake shrunk a little. Yang had always dealt with her troubles with rage – lots of rage – but she was just dismissive of Blake, not even directing a word at her. The faunus could only assume that meant she felt really betrayed and hurt.

"Can you?" Weiss redirected the question to her.

"I think so." Blake answered. "Might need some help, though."

"You can count on me."

Weiss took the platter away, then helped Blake to her feet slowly. As soon as she touched the ground, though, the faunus wobbled and started to fall. The heiress gritted her teeth and acted on instinct – and suddenly she was holding Blake on her arms.

Yang stared at the two, her mask of seriousness breaking briefly and being replaced by amusement and surprise.

"I must say, Weiss…" She chuckled. "You move fast. Do invite me for the wedding."

Weiss glared at her, but made no movement put Blake down. The faunus smiled to Yang, whose expression immediately closed. The blonde turned around and walked out of the room.

"Humph. How rude." Weiss remarked reprehensively, then looked down at Blake. "Let us go, my bride!"

"What?" Blake blurted out.

"Jeez, that was joke. I do jokes too, you know?" Weiss frowned.

"Oh. Sorry." Blake smiled charmingly. "Maybe one day I will be your bride, considering how fast you're moving."

The heiress blushed. She dedicated herself to avoiding Blake's smug stare as they made their way through Beacon.

* * *

When the monochrome pair arrived at Ozpin's office, Weiss dutifully put Blake down on a chair. The headmaster raised an eyebrow at the faunus' method of transportation, but made no comment about it.

Unfortunately, there were other people in the room who weren't as tactful. Qrow and Raven were leaning against a wall – him with a bored expression, her looking emotionlessly at a fixed point on the floor. He nudged his sister with an elbow and pointed towards the new arrivals.

"A Schnee and a faunus." He chuckled. "Who would have thought?"

"Really, Qrow?" She responded drily. " _Really_?"

"Excuse me for making jokes." He glared at her. "It's better than brooding around all day."

Blake straightened on her chair as she looked at Qrow.

"How do you know I'm a faunus?" She asked suspiciously.

He gestured towards the bow on her head.

"It's fairly obvious." He stated. "Really, I'm surprised that anyone would be fooled by that."

Blake smiled slightly as Weiss grumbled under her breath.

After a few more minutes, Ruby and Yang arrived. The redhead gave Blake a guarded look, but if she was meaning to say anything, she was too slow. As soon as they stepped in, Yang's eyes flew to Raven and turned red.

"What's _she_ doing here?" She roared, then looked at Ozpin. "Is this a trick?"

"No, this is not a trick." The headmaster said. "I ask that you put aside all personal conflicts for the duration of this meeting. Can you do that, Yang?"

"I don't think I need any meetings, thank you." The blonde retorted bitterly, starting to turn towards the door.

"Yang, please." Raven spoke up softly. "After this is over, we can talk. I'll explain anything you want to know. Anything."

Yang looked at her mother silently, then nodded and sat down on a chair. Ruby started towards another, but she had a shiver run down her back. She looked up and noticed Raven staring at her.

"Why are you staring at me?" She asked nervously.

"Oh. I'm sorry." Raven blinked and shifted her weight. "I didn't mean to. You just look a lot like your mother." She looked towards Ozpin. "Do proceed, please."

As the young team took their seats, Ozpin sat on the edge of his desk, which caused was a small surprise to them. They knew he wasn't the strictest of headmasters, but he never appeared so casual. Ruby and Yang thought he only wanted to be comfortable for the duration of the meeting, but Weiss and Blake had a feeling the gesture had a deeper meaning – maybe Ozpin had come to respect them enough to drop all formalities around them.

"I called you here, team RWBY, because I don't suspect, but _believe_ , that you've been going on self-proposed missions against the White Fang." He started. "Now, I should be reprimanding all of you, threatening to have you expelled for disobeying orders and putting yourselves at risks. But that's not my way. You're all Huntresses-in-training, and you're fully aware of what you're dealing with. Or so I expect."

He paused to give each of them a lasting stare. They fidgeted on their seats, but none broke under his examination. He leaned back and nodded, as if satisfied by their reactions.

"You've not only gone against the White Fang directly, but you've also, Ruby in particular, come in contact with Cinder Fall." Ozpin said. "She's an… interesting piece on the board."

"You mean she's a killer and a liar?" Yang corrected.

"I don't know. Perhaps you're right." The headmaster looked towards Blake briefly. "But perhaps you're being too quick to judge."

"I traced Fall's steps for many months, Ozpin, and I'm afraid I'm less open minded about her than you are." Raven interjected. "Nothing changes the fact that she has done more than a fair share of heinous crimes."

Ozpin looked ready to pose another argument, but Qrow gestured discreetly towards Ruby, who seemed to be almost disappearing against her chair.

"Moving on." The headmaster said. "I think it would be foolish and, frankly, a test in futility to keep you out of these matters. From now on, you'll be working for me, Qrow and Raven, against the White Fang."

"I've always dreamed of bossing my nieces around." Qrow laid a hand on his chin. "Oh, wait. I already do."

"Uhm… Sir, I don't want to question your judgment, but…" Weiss spoke up hesitantly. "We are first year students. Wouldn't it be wiser to recruit older students, or even better, fully-trained Huntsmen?"

"A valid point." Ozpin stated. "But in my many years as both Huntsman and headmaster, I've found that many, if not all, missions are accomplished by those with personal ties, not the most technically capable."

Weiss thought that method was most likely to get people killed than anything else, but she trusted her headmaster to know what was best for the situation.

"I can't force you into this arrangement, of course." Ozpin noted.

"I'll work with you." Blake said simply. She didn't need to voice her reasoning. Ozpin had suspected she was affiliated with the White Fang, and she doubted he didn't know the full truth now.

"I will too." Weiss followed. "Not only is this a job worthy of taking, but… Well, the White Fang _has_ been harassing my family for a long time. It would be… fulfilling, to find some way to deal with them."

Yang stared towards Raven for a few seconds. She hadn't missed the subtler touches on Ozpin's proposal – they would be working not only for him, but also for Raven and Qrow. She was okay with taking orders from her uncle, even if he was aggravating at times, but her mother was another story…

"Okay…" She grumbled. "But I might abandon this mission at any moment."

"I hope you don't." Ozpin said softly. He looked at Ruby, who was silent as a stone and staring at nowhere in particular. "Miss Rose?"

She looked at him, and her silver eyes seemed to spark for a split second.

"Would this involve Cinder in any way?" She asked.

"I believe so, but-"

"I'm in." She answered immediately, then straightened her posture and said nothing more.

If Ozpin thought anything of her attitude, he didn't show it. Instead, the nodded and gestured satisfactorily to the team.

"That's all I wanted to discuss. I'll need some time to figure out our first step with Qrow and Raven. You'll be called as soon as we're ready." He said. "You're dismissed."

Yang immediately stood up and looked at Raven, prepared to demand her to keep her promise. To her surprise, though, Raven walked past her with quick steps, gripping her by the wrist. The blond girl looked nervously at her teammates before letting herself be pulled away.

Blake started to get up, and Weiss dove to support her. This time, the faunus managed to stay on her feet, though she leant heavily on the heiress.

"Ruby…" Blake spoke quietly. "…Can I move back to our room?"

The redhead looked at her with uncertainty. It was better than Yang's absolute lack of emotion, but it still wasn't what Blake wanted.

"Okay." Ruby allowed. "But Yang might object."

"I'll ask her afterwards." Blake said. "I'm sorry, Ruby."

"I know." The younger girl looked away. "You're forgiven."

Ruby walked out of the office, leaving Blake feeling worse than before.

"I don't think she meant that." She muttered.

"It'll take time." Weiss agreed softly. "I'll be there for you. You know that, right?"

Blake nodded and smiled gratefully. The two left the office, leaving only Ozpin and Qrow in it.

"Ah, the youth." Qrow reminisced. "Me, Raven, Taiyang and Summer… We had as much drama as these young ones."

"And double the amount of near-death situations." Ozpin added.

"Hey! That was what was fun about Beacon!" The Branwen protested. "Also, don't pretend to not be fond of these memories. I do recall you being rather… intimate, with Summer?"

"What?" Ozpin frowned. "I don't recall anything remotely like that. Unless you believed the old days' rumors…?"

"Rumors…" Qrow said suspiciously. "Sure…"

The headmaster shook his head in disbelief, wondering how anybody could come up with such ridiculous ideas.

* * *

 **I wonder if that ending humor was as funny to me as to 95% of you readers. Welp. I'm going with it!**

 **Next chapter - we FINALLY hear Raven's story. Yay! By the way, Qrow's official character design has been revealed, so you might wanna check it out if you haven't yet, since he's in this story now. Also, Winter is Weiss' older sister. Thankfully I didn't include her in this story, or else she would be younger here, just like in _Children of Summer_.**

 **Target-Dummy-sized thanks to everyone who reviewed, followed and favorited _Falling Roses Burn Brighter_!**

 **-Zeroan**


	11. Fly away

"Okay, so when you said you'd answer any of my questions, I was thinking more of an interrogation kind-of thing." Yang said with an obvious degree of irritation. "Not a midday snack at the park."

She was seated at a bench in one of Vale City's most beautiful parks. Kids and parents were running all around, playing with each other, under the shade of the trees. It was a wonderful sight, but it left Yang feeling… strange. She blamed it the person beside her.

"I, for one, would like to start our relationship in a more normal way." Raven noted, forcing a bit of cheerfulness into her voice. She hoped she hadn't completely forgotten how to do that over the years. "I like interrogations just as much as everyone else, but sitting under the shade of the trees, in the fresh air of spring… That's more fitting for the situation."

"Who says we're going to have a relationship?" Yang asked snippily. "I just want my answer, not some tearful reunion. You might have given me birth, but _Summer_ was my mother."

"I suppose she was." The mother agreed with a sad smile. "I wish I could thank her for that…"

She was silent for a little while, seemingly lost in her thoughts. Then she snapped her head up and turned to face Yang.

"What did your father tell you?"

"He told me about you after Summer died. He said you disappeared, but… Maybe he meant you were dead. I was just a little kid back then." Yang thought about telling her mother about how she had never lost hope, but she wasn't in the mood for it. "Don't tell me he lied too."

"He didn't. Your father knew only a smidge more than you…" Raven told quietly. She leaned forward, resting her arms on her legs as she looked at her hands. "I'm going to tell you the full story, but you've got to promise me something… I don't expect you to understand, much less forgive me. If you want to, you can spend the rest of your life hating me. You've grown too much, always away from me, for me to demand you even _like_ me. But I need you to listen… To know. Can you do that?"

Yang looked at her silently for a moment, then nodded. Raven righted her posture and began her story.

* * *

 _I think the best approach here is to pull back a few years before my leaving. Roughly… ten years. When I was attending Beacon._

 _You know about my team, of course. Me, your uncle Qrow, Taiyang, and Summer. The wonder team, as Ozpin called us sometimes._

 _It was there that I met your father. He was… a bit of a hothead. Maybe not a bit. But we became good friends, and then things progressed beyond that. I won't bother you with the details. You only need to know that we_ did _love each other very, very much._

 _Qrow was the prodigy. There is a reason he's so arrogant and commanding, Yang. He has the right to be so. Give him a mission and he'll complete it and two more at the planned timespan._

"How is that relevant?"

 _It will help you understand later on. Be patient._

 _And Summer… She was… She was my best friend. Always there for me, even at the most hopeless of situations. But she always so… Sad. She had barely any friends outside the team, because she was afraid of losing them._

 _Summer wasn't an easy person to understand, but I loved her._

 _And_ that _, my daughter, is relevant._

* * *

Ruby walked inside her room, humming quietly under her breath. She had taken habit of doing that lately – it was a small distraction from her thoughts, but a distraction anyway.

She cast a look at Blake, who was sitting on her bed, reading intently. The faunus shifted her weight and winced, almost dropping the book. Ruby darted to her side, frowning worriedly.

"What happened?" She asked. "Did you open the stitches?"

"No, I just… I rubbed my back against something, and it must have touched the injuries. I'm fine." Blake muttered, looking up at her leader hesitantly. "Thanks for worrying."

Ruby shrugged and jumped to her own bed, trying to appear indifferent. Normally, Blake would have noticed the farce easily, but she was hurt physically and emotionally at the moment, so she just looked back at her book, wishing Ruby would show some sign of forgiveness.

 _Show no mercy!_ Ruby thought cheerfully as she sat on her bed. _Mean Blake! Who does she think she is? No mercy!_

"So, do you need anything?" The redhead blurted out.

"Not really. All I need it rest." Blake said. "Thanks."

"I don't need your thanks!" Ruby shrieked, then turned her back to her, crossing her arms stubbornly.

Blake looked at her quizzically, then shook her head slowly. Slowly, Ruby turned to look at her over her shoulder. Once again, the faunus was immersed in her book.

"I'm gonna grab some food for us." She decided suddenly.

"But I'm not hungry." Blake noted.

"I'm the leader!" Ruby screamed. "Don't tell me what to do!"

She raced out of the room, leaving Blake in a very confused state.

 _I wish she would just cut my head off already._

* * *

 _Now we get to the real story._

 _It started a long while after we graduated from Beacon. Your father and I were living together in Patch, in the same house you've lived in for all your life. A cozy little place, but we didn't get many missions. Taiyang had gotten a job as a professor at Signal a few years before, and I occasionally did some Huntress work for the island._

 _During that time, I was more preoccupied with you, of course. You were barely six months old, and constantly crying for attention._

"What a shock."

 _Meanwhile, Qrow was doing his usual thing. High-risk, high-reward missions. He always came out alive and richer, rarely ever injured. But then he took one mission that changed everything._

 _One day, out of the blue, he stumbles into our house, bleeding from head to toe and with_ scorch marks _! I put you to sleep, call Taiyang, and start to treat him. Of course the blockhead didn't go to a hospital, no, he_ had _to get big sister's help._

 _So, once he finally is starting to look like he's not going to die, Taiyang arrives. The two start their usual bickering, until Summer arrives too._

"What?"

 _Remember when I said she was a blessing? Well, in Beacon, we had these monitoring bugs in us so the school could track our vitals and position while we were out on field missions. She really liked that idea, and insisted we keep using ours so she could care for us. She must have noticed Qrow's state and where he was going, so she raced half across the continent to reach him._

"She _was_ supermom!"

 _…Indeed._

 _When things calm down, Summer asks Qrow what the hell happened to him. He had taken a job, a relatively mild one, to investigate a small, but dangerous group in the frontier between Vale and Atlas. Turns out they were the beginning of the White Fang, and even then, they were a force to be reckoned with._

 _Qrow managed to knock out a bunch of them, but one in particular rose to challenge him. A tall, dark-haired woman with amber eyes that seemed to glow like fire. I'll never forget that description. For one of the few times in his life, Qrow was outmatched. He only escaped because the woman had no interest in chasing after him._

 _We all realized that was not a mild job anymore._

 _That woman was too powerful to face directly, and there were also hundreds of people between her and us. It would be bloodshed, with heavy losses to either side of the conflict. To bring that organization down, we had to reach it from the inside._

 _Qrow wanted to be the worm, obviously. But we all knew that wouldn't work. He was too famous already, practically a legend amongst the Huntsmen, and he had met that woman face to face._

"Also, he has a giant scythe. Not really subtle."

 _We also made that point._

 _Naturally, Taiyang and I started to volunteer, but Summer would have none of it. We had perfectly peaceful lives, and you. She had… Nothing like that. She said she would be losing nothing in the endeavor._

 _Taiyang relented, agreeing she was the one for the job. Qrow did too. I said she should go._

 _But I did_ not _agree._

* * *

"And when he finally agreed to give us the Dust, I said… _Uh, uh, Larry, too late. You had your chance, now you got only ashes_." Torchwick recalled cheerfully. "So he's like, _ashes?_ And we burn him to a crisp, then take the Dust. A happy ending to a happy story."

Cinder buried her face in her hands, doing her best to block out Roman's endless talking. By now, she was sure Ozpin had done this on purpose. She wasn't being tortured, or deprived of food, or kept under surveillance, but she wished she was, if it meant no more of her ex-colleague.

He continued to talk, and as he did, she leant back, looking at her open palms. They started to glow a faint orange, distorting the air around them with heat. She couldn't see it, but her eyes too were like two condensed wildfires in the darkness.

She felt empty inside. Not thinking, not feeling. Empty.

"Burned to a crisp… You know what that reminds me of?" Roman chuckled. "You, before you became a disgrace and a failure."

Suddenly, that emptiness was filled by rage – too much rage. Cinder stood up and turned to the side, then drove a fist into the metal wall. It bended under the force of the blow, a loud _boom_ echoing across the prison hall.

" _SHUT UP, OR I'LL BURN US OUT OF THESE CAGES, TEAR OUT YOUR INTESTINE AND FORCE YOU TO EAT IT RAW! THEN I'LL OPEN THAT TALKING LITTLE MOUTH OF YOURS AND MAKE YOU SWALLOW HELL, AND YOU'LL BE ASHES!_ ASHES!"

She stopped, her chest rising up and down with her erratic breathing. She waited, mentally begging for him to say something, _anything_ , to give her reason to make good on her words.

He didn't.

Cinder looked down at her hands. They were burning. Burning without control. She slid down a wall, her whole body shaking.

 _What is wrong with me… What is wrong with me… What is wrong with me…_

* * *

 _A week after, Summer left to begin the mission. We had no idea how long she would be gone for, but we knew it wouldn't be brief. Taiyang and Qrow were practically in tears, but she wasn't. She was used to that kind of thing, and was just glad she was the one to take up the burden._

 _I followed her._

 _She had confected this mask… A Grimm mask, like the ones the White Fang still uses to this day. The one I use now. The plan was for her to start as a mere recruit, then rise up the ranks until she met with that woman. Then she would kill her. It sounds easy enough, but it's not. I know from experience._

 _When she was getting near their recruitment place, I knocked her out. One good punch to the side of the head. She was out cold._

 _I donned the mask, and left._

 _For seventeen years._

* * *

They were silent for a few minutes. Yang stared blankly ahead, while Raven waited for a reaction. As the time passed, she only felt worse, expecting the worst from her daughter.

" _Why_?" The girl finally asked. "Why couldn't you let Summer go?"

"She was my best friend, Yang. More than that, she was… I can't tell you what she meant to me." Raven's voice faltered.

"You don't need to. I already know she meant more than your own daughter."

Raven froze, wishing she could just burst into tears, but the years had shaped her into a hardened version of herself. Nothing would ever be as easy as crying anymore.

"I said I didn't expect you to understand." She noted quietly. "But, picture this… If you were in my position, and Ruby was in Summer's… Wouldn't you do something to save her?"

"Yes. But she's my sister, and I don't have a daughter." Yang said.

"You had Taiyang." Raven stated, knowing it was the weakest excuse she could come up with. "And you had Qrow, and later Ruby. Summer had no one. She was already broken down. If she had left… Something would terrible would have happened to her."

Yang looked at her mother inquisitively, not really understanding her line of thought.

"Being infiltrated in the White Fang was hard. And I don't mean only the secrecy, the fear of being discovered or killed…" Raven said. "It's a horrible organization. I've seen things, Yang, that made me lose almost all hope in humanity. But I endured through it, because I knew that outside that hell, there was _you_." She smiled despite the situation. "Every time I would have to do something terrible, or turn a blind eye, or… Whatever… I would go to sleep at night, and think about you. And that's what kept me alive."

"I… S-see…" Yang said shakily, looking away so her mother wouldn't notice her tears. "And Summer didn't have that."

"Exactly. I can't- I don't _want to_ imagine what would have become of her." Raven chuckled humorlessly. "She became an awesome supermom. I'm proud of you."

Yang nodded and got up, shifting her weight nervously. She looked towards Raven and gestured weakly. Raven stood too and went in for a hug, but her daughter took a large step back.

They stared at each other, not knowing what to say.

"I'll… See you around." Yang managed with a small voice.

"Yeah." Raven muttered. "See you, kiddo."

* * *

Ozpin entered the prison hall, swinging his cane lightly as he whistled under his breath. He went past most of the cages, knowing they were empty, until he found the important one. The one with a dent on its left side.

He opened the door and found Cinder curled up against a wall, hugging her legs with her head buried between her knees. She was shaking visibly, making Ozpin wonder if she was crying.

"Cinder?" He called softly, crouching until he was level with her. "Are you alright?"

"Leave. Me. Alone." She said, dragging each sound out slowly, as if it pained her to speak.

"Cinder. I don't know what has happened to you, but if there's anything…" He paused. "I'm sorry to inform you, but Raven Branwen will be seeing you later today. It will be painful. I tried my best to stop her, but there's only so much I can do for you."

She turned her head just enough for her eyes to be visible. They were red, and her usually lively amber irises seemed dead of color.

"Thank… You."

* * *

When Yang entered her room, she was still wiping away a few stray tears. She hated feeling so emotional, but she couldn't help it right then. Besides, if anyone made fun of her for it, she would slam against a wall and punch them in the nose. Repeatedly. She had the right to cry.

Blake looked up from her book, expecting Ruby or Weiss. She froze at the sight of her partner standing on the doorway, rubbing her eyes slowly. When she was done, Yang took a deep breath and finally noticed Blake.

"Hi." The faunus said after a long moment of silence.

"Hi." Yang greeted back, then turned to get a bottle of water from their stash.

Blake watched her, waiting for something else to be said, but Yang just stayed silent. The faunus nodded. Being ignored was better than being kicked out, at least for now.

Ruby arrived with a platter of food, which she deposited in Blake's lap dutifully. The brunette looked from the food to her leader in surprise.

"I thought you said you were getting food for _us_?"

" _Don't_ question my leadership." Ruby said firmly. "Holler if you need help."

Blake smirked, faintly amused by her (perhaps) friend's attitude, then began to eat, even though she wasn't hungry.

"So…" Ruby looked at her sister. "How did it go with your mom?"

"It went… well." Yang said, turning to face her. "Better than I expected, but weird, I guess."

"What happened?!" The redhead demanded, jumping a bit too excitedly. "Tell me _everything_!"

Yang smiled slightly.

"Ah, we… We talked about why she left, which included Qrow, the White Fang, your mom…" She paused. "Can I get a hug?"

Ruby immediately complied, jumping to her arms and hugging her. Yang burst into tears, and before she could do anything, so did Ruby. Blake watched the two with a faint smile.

Weiss stepped inside the room, looking as regal as ever, glancing at the sisters before walking to Blake's side. She opened her mouth to say something, then did a double take and looked back at her other teammates.

"What- Why?" The heiress pinched her forehead. "Why couldn't I be put into a _normal_ team with _normal_ people?"

"Hey!" Blake protested jokingly.

"You're weird too." Weiss sighed. "And so am I."

Ruby separated from her sister and stood rigidly.

"We are going to eat pizza." She decided. "Blake, you are allowed to come along."

"But I just finished eating-"

"Who's the leader here?!"

"Okay…" Blake lowered her head meekly.

Ruby smiled widely, then exited the room, dragging Yang along happily. Blake put her platter to the side and followed. Weiss stared at them, bewildered.

"Seriously!" She yelled. "Have you checked for brain damage?!"

* * *

As Ozpin had said, Raven Branwen did visit Cinder as the sun set below the horizon. She wasn't wearing her mask, but her eyes were a deep shade of red, which made her even more intimidating.

"We're going to have a talk, Fall." Raven said. "I'm going to ask you some questions, and you're going to answer. Don't make this any harder than it has to be."

Cinder looked up at her emotionlessly. A shiver ran down Raven's back – that wasn't the look of a convicted criminal or even a captured animal, but of a dead person.

"You work for the White Fang." Raven said, ignoring the other's disturbing state. " _For_ the White Fang. It's my understanding that you aren't truly a member of their organization… You are more like a third party. Am I right?"

"No." Cinder answered, almost too quiet to be heard. "I _worked_ for them. Not anymore."

"Semantics. I don't give a crap about that. You were a murdered then, you're a murderer now. Now, to the big questions." Raven crossed her arms. "Why did you infiltrate Beacon?"

"To take it down from the inside."

Raven paused at these words. It was an obvious answer, but it shook her to her core because of her conversation with her daughter.

"They want to bring Vale down." Cinder muttered. "Why? I don't know. But it would never work with Beacon standing. Even the first year students can pose a threat, as you must know."

"I see." Raven nodded. "Who are _they_?"

"I don't know. The White Fang?" Cinder shrugged.

Suddenly, she was being held against the wall of her cage by one of Raven's hands, while the other was raised in front of her face in a closed fist.

"Who's your leader?!" Raven demanded. "Where is she and what's her name?!"

"I don't _know_!" Cinder growled. "I've never met her! Adam Taurus was my-"

Raven threw her out of the cage and gripped one of her arms, while pushing her down by her back. Cinder gritted her teeth, containing a scream as the pain spread all over her upper body.

"Don't give me this crap. I've devoted almost half of my life to bringing your friends to justice, so I recommend you don't play this game with me…" Raven said in a low tone. "I know your game, Fall. I've been forced to play it for years. And my opinion on it?"

She pulled back. There was a loud crack, and Cinder yelled.

"Not fun." Raven finished. "Who. Is. She?"

Cinder closed her eyes, her body shaking with rage and pain. She opened them again, and they were _burning_. With a sudden burst of power, she spun and kicked Raven on her cheek, making the older woman losing her grip on her.

"I don't know!" Cinder yelled. "Did you get it?! _I. DON'T. KNOW!_ "

She swung a hand, throwing a burst of fire in her interrogator's direction. Raven drew her sword and deflected the projectile, then closed the distance between them. Cinder stepped to the side, narrowly avoiding the blade's sharp edge, and punched Raven on her stomach.

Raven's eyes seemed to become even redder, and she let go of her sword. In one movement, she raised her hand and grabbed Cinder by the throat, lifting her from the ground with the strength of one arm. Cinder screamed, letting out a barrage of flames from her mouth, but it flew above Raven's head without harming her.

The swordswoman walked until she had Cinder held against a wall. The pyromancer looked to the side, and in a moment of horror, noticed she was being pressed against a window, not a wall.

"You-" She tried to say. "Don't-"

Raven snarled and tensed, and Cinder knew she was going to put more force and break the glass. They were one of Vale's biggest buildings, only a few floors below the highest one. Not even the most resilient Aura would save someone from such a fall.

 _I could take her with me. Grab her while I fall…_

She looked into Raven's eyes, and in them she found not only rage, but something else. She might not know why it was there, but it was hurt. Sadness. Not the feelings of a monster.

 _No_.

Then Raven collapsed to the side, a bloody mark on the side of her forehead. Cinder fell down and crawled away from the window desperately, but was suddenly brought to her feet by a hand on the back of her collar.

"Sorry about that." Ozpin sighed. "You're going back to your cage."

He sat her on the bench of her cage and looked at her pitifully.

"I suppose you didn't comply." He said.

"I didn't know the answer." Cinder stated bitterly. "I didn't _know_!"

"I believe you. Go to sleep."

He closed the door, leaving her in utter darkness. She faintly heard the sound of Raven getting up. A few whispers.

And broken sobs.

* * *

 **Aw.  
**

 **I'm interested in what you guys thought of the way I had Raven tell her story. I've never done it this way, so I'm not sure if it's good? Feedback, as always, is appreciated. (And of course that's not the end of the Yang-Raven conflict. There's more in store for them.)**

 **Eat-your-intestine-sized thanks to everyone who reviewed, followed and favorited _Falling Roses Burn Brighter_!**

 **-Zeroan**


	12. Free flight

"Three on the hallway to the right. Two rifles, one… sword-thingy." Qrow took his hand off his earpiece, leaned over slightly to observe his prey for a few seconds, then retreated. "Definitely a sword-thingy. What have you got?"

There was a brief moment of silence before his earpiece buzzed and Raven spoke.

" _Five on the left hallway. Irrelevant weapons._ " She relayed. " _How many can you see on the room, from your side?_ "

"…Four?" He tried, not bothering to give another look.

" _Oh, good. I see twenty._ " Raven said dryly, knowing he hadn't given an honest answer. " _We'll have to be quick on the hallways, then storm the room together. Ready?_ "

"I'm ready. Just don't kill them."

There was no response, much to his displeasure.

He heard the sound of blasts and bullets flying, so he turned around the corner and dashed across the hallway, his scythe unfolding as he swung towards a man's legs. The White Fang recruit cried and fell to the ground.

The other two men turned to fire at him, but Qrow left them no window for it, knocking their weapons away with a move of his scythe, them bashing them on their heads with the blunt side of it.

He smirked confidently and raced to the end of the hallway, which opened into a fairly large room. Just as he entered it, Raven arrived from the other side, swinging her katana mercilessly. Qrow noticed its red reflection with disgust, but looked away. There was no time for that.

The Huntsman took out five of the grunts with shots from his scythe, taking advantage of their attention on his sister. Once he was noticed, he sprang to action, dancing from one end of the room to another, slamming the men and women as he went.

The whole fight must have taken only a minute, and once it was over, the siblings looked over the unconscious and dead. Qrow shot Raven a disapproving look.

"You really don't listen to me, do you?"

"I'm the older sibling." She remarked humorlessly. "You bashed one of them softly enough to question?"

"Yes. _I_ have self-control."

He nodded, turning one of the grunts on his back. The criminal looked at him with a mixture of fury and defeat.

"Hey, dude. How is it going down there on the ground?" Qrow asked cheerfully.

"Fuck you!"

"Sorry, mate, you gotta invite me to dinner first." He smiled to his sister. "The youth today, right? All about the booty and the-" He noticed her blank expression. "Right. So, crime guy, where's your leader?"

The recruit glared at him, keeping his mouth in a straight line. Qrow lifted an eyebrow, then spun his scythe. The man yelped, expecting to be pierced, but Qrow only leant his weapon on his right shoulder and offered a charming smile.

"Why so scared?" He asked.

"O-okay! T-the Branter Building! Downtown!" The grunt yelled. "Please don't kill me!"

"Yeah, that's not my plan. You got the good cop." Qrow assured. "Say, what's the name of your leader?"

"A-Adam Taurus?"

Raven cursed loudly and kicked the man in the head, knocking him unconscious.

"We're never going to find her." She said bitterly.

"We _will_ find her, sister." Qrow refuted gently. "Someone's got to know her. As secretive as she is, there must be at least one person who relays her orders to everyone else. It's just a matter of-"

"Don't you fucking say it." Raven glared at him. "I've given seventeen years to this cause. There has been a lot of _time_! And she's nowhere! It's like she doesn't even exist!"

"Raven, I know it's hard. But, like you said, seventeen years. You can't give up now." Qrow frowned and looked to the side. "Do you hear-"

"Did you just say I can't give up? Really?" She scoffed. "That's great, Qrow. How about you go underground for seventeen years? Hell, go thirty. It's not like you'd want to stop, right? You're just so-"

"Raven, shut up." Qrow interrupted with a serious tone. "I'm hearing something."

Raven looked at the same direction confusedly. Suddenly, Qrow dropped his scythe and ran to one of the walls. He ran his hand along it frantically, then found something and pushed.

A large section of the wall moved inward and to the side, revealing a dark cubicle. A little boy scrambled from it, followed by a not much older girl. The boy kneeled on the ground, crying, but the girl went to Qrow and hugged his legs.

"T-thank you!" She sobbed.

"Hey, hey… It's nothing, little lady. I'm glad to help." He crouched to meet her face to face as Raven went into the cubicle. "How long have you been in there?"

"A week…?" She said slowly, as if she didn't know the actual answer. "It was so d-dark, and scary, and- I want to go home!"

"Okay, we'll get to that. Where do you live? Who are your parents?" Qrow paused. Maybe he was going too fast for her. Better to get more personal first, to calm her down. "What's your name?"

She looked at him, wide-eyed, and said something. He didn't listen, because at that moment, Raven stepped out of the cubicle, holding another kid in her arms. The girl noticed his staring and followed him, then saw Raven.

"T-Tommy!" She exclaimed. "H-he's been sleeping f-for… He's sleeping…"

Raven closed her eyes for a long while. When she opened them again, they were cold and distant. She looked at Qrow.

"We're going to find that monster." She said. "And I'm going to kill her."

* * *

From an early age, Weiss had been taught how to be discreet, so she could judge opposing business and political leaders without the risk of offending them. She was an adept since the first classes, which had earned a few compliments from her father, and those were rare enough to make her work even harder at the techniques.

She doubted her father would be proud of how she was using them right now, though. Weiss sat on her bed, her notebook against as her legs as she stroked the answers to her homework with a pencil. All the while, though, one eye kept wandering over to the side, as if Blake were some sort of eye magnet.

 _Eye magnet._ Weiss blushed and focused on her homework. It wasn't exactly the crudest of remarks, and Yang would have surely laughed at her for thinking of it that way, but she had never attributed that kind of expression to anyone before. It was always _beautiful, elegant, charming_. Never _eye magnet, hot_ or… Heavens forbid, _sexy_. Her body shifted uncomfortably at that thought.

She turned her head to look at Blake for a good five seconds, completely forgetting her previous efforts at being subtle. The faunus's cat ears shifted, and she looked away from her own notebook to the heiress.

"You okay there, Weiss?" She asked. "Do you need some help with the homework?"

"No!" Weiss answered quickly, trying to appear offended at the notion that _she_ would have homework problems. The truth, however, was that she really didn't want Blake to think she had been staring. "I'm just… taking a break."

"Hmm." Blake poked her chin with her pencil. "You seem to be enjoying your break."

"N-no! I mean, yes! But not because of _you_!" The heiress turned back to her notebook and started to scribble furiously. "Damned faunus and their damned attitudes and their cute cat ears and their – Ruby, focus on your homework!"

Ruby squealed and retreated from the edge of her bed, from where she had been observing her teammates with obvious intrigue. Weiss looked back at Blake and noticed a sly smile on her lips, which only made the white-haired more flustered.

Before anything could be said, someone knocked on their door strongly, the sound echoing through the walls of the room. Yang began to move to get out of her bed, but she was too late, as Ruby leaped to the door, leaving a trail of rose petals behind her.

The redhead smiled cheerfully and opened the door, revealing Raven.

The Huntress had been scowling, her arms crossed and head turned low, as if she were carrying terrible news or something like it. Once the door opened, though, her demeanor changed as she was caught off-guard by the cheerful reception.

"Hello." She said slowly, as if she feared Ruby would attack her at any second.

"Hi, Yang's mom!" The redhead greeted happily. A thought crossed her head and her eyes narrowed. "Yang, is it okay if your mom comes in?"

"…Sure." The blonde answered half-heartedly, making a concentrated effort of staring at a wall.

"Thank you. And call me Raven." A small smile crept on her lips as Raven walked inside. Her eyes scanned the room, passing over Weiss without interest and then focusing on Blake. "You know Adam Taurus, right?"

Blake flinched, her knuckles turning white as she gripped her notebook tightly. The look she gave Raven was uncharacteristically shy and fearful.

"I used to be his partner." She stated, making sure every word she said was understood clearly. " _Used to_. I don't want to be anywhere near him ever again."

"Well, that's a problem." Raven said. "We've been trying to find the White Fang's leader from the outside for months now. Even after years of infiltration, I was nowhere close to discovering the truth. You, however, were very much integrated in the system."

There was a heavy silence from the rest of the team. Blake's past was a forbidden topic – even when she had made it clear she would talk about it, her friends had refused to press her for information. The way Raven referred to it now seemed wrong, and even Yang had a frown on her forehead as she listened to her mother.

"All our raids and interrogations have led to one source. Adam Taurus." Raven continued. "He's the key to our operation. Once we have him in our hold, we can learn the identity and location of his leader."

"You're wrong." Blake said firmly. "Adam's not the type to give information over, even under torture."

"We'll see about that." Raven nodded. "The reason I'm here, of course, is exactly because of this kind of input. If we want to capture Taurus, we need to understand him. And you understand him."

Blake looked away in silence. Her eyes met with Weiss, and the heiress seemed to transmit a fairly simple message. _You don't have to do it_. Blake's gaze softened and she looked back at Raven.

"I'll do it."

"Good." Raven said, but she sounded as if she would have never settled for another answer. "All of you, be at the front of the school in half an hour. Take your best equipment and-"

She paused and looked down, her eyes widening in fear. Zwei licked her ankle and barked at her happily.

"And-" Raven gulped. "And leave the dog home."

* * *

Burning. That was the only way Cinder knew how to describe herself. Burning with some unknown force beneath her skin, as if there was something, _someone_ else trying to claw out of her. Burning until there was nothing left of her but ashes and a putrid smell.

And the worst part of it… She couldn't fight back. For the first time in her life, she couldn't rely on her power and her cunning. There was no overwhelming blow or underhanded technique, no flashy magic or manipulation. There was her, and the fire within her.

She had a pretty good idea which of those would fade away first.

She came to that quiet conclusion while in a half-awake state – well, there seemed to be no other state for her to be in. Her actions were only hazy memories to her, from sitting still, staring at wall, to knocking on her cage in reckless rage and agony.

Days or hours after her painful interrogation – she couldn't quite tell how much time had passed – Ozpin came to visit her. He had stood outside of her cage, its door wide open, and he had spoken softly, yet commandeering, as he always did. She had been very much aware that with one calculated, quick movement, she could have killed or incapacitated him, but she hadn't done it. If he had taken notice of it, that was another thing she couldn't remember.

Yet she wished she had done him in and escaped. Maybe that would have eased her pain – surely she was feeling it _because_ of her imprisonment. But it was too late now, the opportunity was gone. But she could melt her way out and visit an arrogant neighbor…

The door to her cage opened again. Cinder looked up, eyes flaring brightly, as if she were something other than human. Ozpin put his hands together atop of his cane and gazed at her firmly.

"Miss Fall… I have a proposal to make. Will you hear me out?"

Her clenched fists shook, the air around them distorted by heat. She only needed to stand up and _reach_ _forward_ …

"Cinder." Ozpin said. "I can help you. Let me, before it's too late."

Cinder stood, and in a split second, she was holding him up by the collar of his shirt. Their eyes met, hers wild, his heavy with conscience.

"…Talk."

* * *

The girls didn't talk much as they packed whatever little equipment they thought might help them on their mission. There was a sense of duty in the ritual. They had done similar things in the past – like fighting Torchwick in his stolen Paladin earlier in the semester, or the whole breach incident – but this time, it felt official. They wouldn't be by themselves, as Qrow and Raven had made very clear.

The two graduated Huntsmen were already waiting in front of the school as they arrived. They wasted no time in their debriefing. Their recent investigations all lead to one place: the Baxter Building in downtown Vale, where Adam Taurus supposedly met with his contacts and colleagues. Their job was to go inside the building and capture him.

Of course, things were rarely ever that simple. The place was obviously going to be heavily secured and Adam would have escape plans ready for this type of occurrence. That was where Blake, and surprisingly enough, Weiss too, came in handy.

The adults separated the team in two: Ruby and Weiss would stay with Qrow, while Yang and Blake went with Raven. The blonde wasn't shy in her protesting of that match-up, but she was quickly shutdown by her mother's reminder that Blake was still her partner. Weiss was also a bit irked with being paired with not only her crazy partner, but also her similarly-natured uncle, yet she didn't voice any complaints.

And so, the mission began.

* * *

Weiss walked inside the building, her chin raised proudly, as if she owned the place and everyone in it. Dozens of people fixed their sights on her almost immediately, but she gave them no mind, even though she was a quivering mess on the inside.

She walked to a counter and faced the receptionist. The woman must have been taught well, because her disdain and alarm at the heiress' appearance was buried in a heartbeat.

"What might I help you with, Miss…?" The receptionist's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Schnee. Weiss Schnee. But you already know my name." The white-haired girl took a step back. "Your people have targeted by family's company for years without end. You've tainted my life with blood and hatred, but _no more_." She drew her rapier. "It ends today."

Even before she was finished, the woman slammed her fist down on a button, springing alarms bells to life throughout the whole building. Some people ran out the front doors, but most drew hidden weapons and started to march towards the heiress.

"You are a fool!" The receptionist spat. "The only thing ending today is _you_!"

Weiss raised her weapon just in time to deflect a thrown dagger. One quick scan of her surroundings armed her with the knowledge that she was surrounded – there was no way she could repel so many assailants at once.

She concentrated, and after a few seconds, a glowing glyph formed beneath her feet. It exploded with light, and she floated up graciously. Weiss looked down, capturing the scene as she hovered high in the air.

Two blurs entered the building, red and black, and like one, they raced through the White Fang mass. For a good while, the criminals were unaware of what was happening to their colleagues, until Qrow stopped and flashed them a grin.

"Nice place you guys got." He said charmingly. " _Might_ wanna look into security, though."

Weiss landed behind him and swung her rapier, summoning a wave of ice from the ground. Grunts flew to the air, caught off guard by the unpredictable attack.

"Nice move." Qrow clucked his tongue. "A tad too flashy."

" _Excuse_ me?" Weiss exclaimed sharply. "Did I _not_ just knock out all those men?"

"Hey, just saying…" The Huntsman set his scythe on the ground and started firing. In five seconds, he had struck down an equal number of grunts as her. "You can do it much more efficiently."

Weiss grumbled under her breath, really wishing her partner would not grow an attitude similar to her uncle's. She examined the lobby for the redhead, and frowned worriedly when she finally found her chasing a bunch of screaming grunts around with an intense look on her face.

"Ruby!" She called, throwing a glance at Qrow as he made his way to a nearby staircase. "We're moving! Hurry up already!"

Ruby paid her no mind. She disappeared in a flash, then reappeared in front of the fleeing men. She swung her scythe in a low arc, hitting their legs and knocking them to the ground. Then she brought the weapon down on them, bashing them into unconsciousness. Weiss winced, feeling sorry for her sworn enemies.

" _Ruby_." Qrow's voice echoed warningly across the lobby as he stood on the first step of the staircase. "Stop playing around. We have to keep moving."

The redhead blew a hair away from her face and bashed another grunt dejectedly, then made to follow her uncle. Weiss stared at her curiously as she moved past her, but cast her worries aside as the three made their way to the upper floors.

* * *

When her mother had said they would be invading the building from the roof, Yang had thought that was an attempt at a joke. Even as they climbed the side of it with the help of a few _very_ useful gadgets, she did not quite believe they were doing it. Maybe it was because Blake showed no fear or nervousness, making the situation quite surreal – but the faunus was good at hiding her emotions, as Yang had learned.

They made it to the roof without any accidents, then entered through a door and started their descent. Raven led the way with careful steps, relying more on her ears than her eyes as they wandered through hallways and stairs. More than once she threw frustrated looks at her daughter when she made a loud noise, intentional or not.

After ten minutes, the alarms sprang to life, but they sounded distant from their positions. Closer was the shuffling of feet and stairs, and more importantly, drawing of blades and loading of firearms. That was no problem for them – in fact, they hoped it was the opening they needed. Adam would not be able to escape downstairs, with Qrow's group causing mayhem there, and neither could he move to the roof.

"How the hell do we know where to go?" Yang whispered, thinking the entirety of this stealthy mission was futile and dumb.

"We don't know. I made estimations." Blake answered in an ever lower tone. "Adam knows better than to stay at the very top or bottom. He'll have chosen a floor closer to the middle."

"Well, I suppose you're the person to go to when it comes to scum and villainy." The blonde shrugged.

"Yep." Blake nodded, trying to play the pointed remark off as if she wasn't hurt by it. "He'll also have a small but powerful group of people to guard him. Expect something like Neopolitan. Try not to suck at it again, though." She paused. "Sorry."

Raven moved onwards before Yang could spark a heated argument in the middle of their mission. The girls followed her down a stairway, and came across a dozen grunts on the way.

Before the students could do anything, Raven had cut through the White Fang effortlessly. Yang's stared in shock, and even Blake was a bit disturbed as she eyed the blood flowing down the steps. Raven looked up at them, then her eyes dropped somberly.

"Come on." She said softly. "There's no time to lose."

Blake grabbed Yang's wrist and dragged her along. The blonde shook her head, trying to break from her stupor and forget about the horrible scene. She was forced to do it as they finally arrived at a floor and broke into the hallway, immediately meeting with a slim, dark-clothed woman with a lance.

"Go ahead!" Raven gestured quickly. "I won't take long!"

Blake and Yang moved past the lancer, who was experienced enough to not try to stop them, instead choosing to block Raven's immediate assault.

They moved across the hallway, Blake leading the way instinctively while Yang kept her fists clenched tightly, expecting trouble to appear at any second.

It finally did, in the form of two almost invisible forms. The blonde felt a sharp sting of pain on her knees, then fell on her back. Her eyes focused on her assailants – two young boys, surely still kids, with near identical appearances except for their gold and silver colored hairs. Gold wielded two long arched blades, while Silver had a steel staff that was his size and a half.

"Hey, that's cute. Twins?" Yang flashed a grin at them.

"Hmm." Gold gave his brother a disinterested glance. "She's trying to be charming."

"She's failing." Silver lamented. "Please don't scream as you die horribly."

"Forget about the cute thing." Yang leered at them. "I hate twins."

She jumped to her feet just in time to avoid Gold's double swing, then shot at Silver before he could follow with an attack of his own. Unfortunately, the tactic seemed to be worthless, as the twins began an unrelenting and skillful assault against her. The best Yang could do was block and retreat, which had her eyes glowing red in no time.

"I _seriously_ hate twins!" She yelled and dashed forward, taking a hit from Silver intentionally and striking him on his right cheek.

The boy screamed in pain and stumbled back. His Aura protected anything from being broken, but his face still hurt like hell. Gold growled angrily and swung at Yang's exposed back. She winced, but felt less pain than she should, as her Semblance worked in her favor once again.

Still, getting more powerful with damage to her body did not mean she could just ignore it. Now that she was between the two brothers, their assault was even more difficult to defend against, and the pain was piling up quickly. Yang scowled, realizing she had bitten on more than she could chew.

Just as she began to wonder where Blake was, the faunus appeared behind Silver and bashed the side of his head with the pommel of her sword, knocking him unconscious. Gold dashed to her, swinging his blades in a high arc, but suddenly there was another one poking through his chest. Blood poured from his mouth before he slid to the ground, lifeless.

Raven shook her head slowly, as if she didn't want to look at the mess.

"Yang?" She called. "Can you stand?"

"Y-yeah." The blonde nodded. "They did a number on me. Where were you, Blake?"

"Surrounded by less dangerous foes. Once I took care of them, I was going to chase after Adam, but… You were in trouble." Blake answered. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah. Thanks." Yang said, and she looked at Blake long enough for her to know that she meant it.

They moved again, and not too much time after, they came across the central stairway. Qrow and Ruby jumped the last of the steps to their floor, Weiss lagging behind with an annoyed look on her face.

"You ran into trouble?" Qrow eyed his sister's bloody blade. "Dumb question. Let's keep going."

"Can I just say your family is insane?" Weiss grunted as she moved to Yang's side.

"You get used to it… I suppose." The blonde said somberly.

They ran through the hallway, eventually reaching a set of double doors at its far end. Qrow burst through it, and the group found themselves in a big office with glass walls at every side. There was a single desk and chair in the middle of it, where Adam Taurus was seated casually.

"Taurus." Raven said steely. "We've come to capture you. Don't resist, or it will be very painful for you."

The faunus criminal smiled slightly and laced his hands behind his head, as if he weren't even a bit threatened by her words. Blake frowned.

"He's got something planned." She said. "Don't let him-"

Weiss felt something touch her shoulder, and white flashed across her vision. She stumbled forward and was caught by Blake.

"Weiss! What happened?!"

"I…" The heiress opened her eyes and looked up at her teammate. "You – Get your hands off me, filth! Don't _touch_ me!"

Blake flinched and stepped back, only for Weiss to draw her rapier and swing it against her. The brunette sidestepped and looked helplessly at her companions, only to feel even more distressed.

To her right, Qrow had been engaged in battle by a familiar face – Neopolitan. They seemed to be evenly matched, though Qrow was definitely very worried about the whole situation to give his foe his full attention. Yang lied unconscious on the ground beside them, and Blake guessed she had been caught off guard by the pink-and-brown-haired girl.

But Blake was much more worried by the sight to her left. Raven had Ruby held firmly in her grasp, tears spilling down her cheeks as she spoke incoherently. The redhead was frozen in her spot, staring in shock at the grown woman, while tears welled up in her own eyes.

And all the while, Weiss kept calling her a _filthy Faunus_!

"Weiss! Snap out of it!" Blake yelled. The fact that Adam was watching smugly from his seat only added to her frustration. "Something's gotten into your head! Just focus!"

"Shut. Up!" Weiss shrieked, desperately trying to stab Blake. "You are just-"

Blake grunted and stepped forward, giving her teammate a hard slap across her cheek. Weiss yelped and stumbled back, holding her aching face with a hand. She blinked slowly.

"You are filth… All… Filth…" She spoke slowly, as if she weren't sure of the words herself.

Blake's first urge was to rush to her aid, but a loud roaring noise gave her alarm. She looked back at Adam and saw a small helicopter standing behind him, just on the other side of the glass.

"It was good seeing you, Blake." He said, giving her a mock salute. He turned and smashed the glass, then jumped from the building and landed inside the helicopter.

Neo disengaged from her fight and spun, shimmering out of sight for a brief moment, only being visible again at the helicopter. Qrow seethed with rage, but it was quickly replaced by curiosity as he noticed another person jumping to the flying vehicle, a pale bald man clad in white clothing.

Blake made to follow the criminals, but Qrow grabbed her by the wrist.

"It's no use, Blake." He said. "We don't want to engage them inside a freaking _helicopter_."

"But…" The faunus kept her eyes locked on Adam's even as he flew away. "I understand…"

She turned and walked back to Weiss, who was sitting on the ground, rubbing her head with a dazed look on her face.

"What… What happened?" She asked.

"Weird psychic dude, probably." Qrow guessed, examining Yang for any serious injuries. "Had you spouting all sorts of racist nonsense."

"Oh." Weiss lowered her head in shame. "I'm terribly sorry, Blake."

The brunette was about to say that apologies weren't necessary, but a faint sob caught her attention. She looked to the left and found Raven now hugging Ruby as if her life depended on it, while the redhead was biting her lower lip, attempting to stay strong through the ordeal.

"Uhm…" Qrow reached the two of them and gently pried his sister away from his niece. "It's okay, sis. Let's get over there and calm down, okay?"

Raven blinked, waking up from her confused state. When she looked at Ruby, her expression darkened and she stormed out of the room. Qrow made to follow her, but decided to stay, knowing Yang and the others needed him far more, for now.

"That was…" Weiss said quietly, trying to find a suitable word for the occurrence. "What exactly happened there, Ruby?"

"I… I don't know. She thought I was my mom…?" Ruby looked away and reached a hand to cover her eyes. "She'll get better."

The redhead lowered her head and drew her cloak closer to her, as if she wanted to disappear into it. She turned her back to the others and walked towards the broken glass wall, staring through the hole silently.

Yang's eyes opened and she looked up slightly, taking in everyone's quiet, morose state.

"What did I miss?" She frowned. "You know what?" She lied back down again and closed her eyes. "Tell me when I wake up again."

* * *

"Mercury!" Emerald chided quietly. "Stop playing around!"

Mercury leered at his partner, but followed her anyway. When it came to infiltration, Emerald was the pair's expert, after all. She was the one who planned their mission for the night, and he had worked with her long enough to know not to argue with her methods.

" _Don't_ step there." She hissed, just in time for him to stop his right foot from touching the floor. "That's in the damned sensor's area, Mercury. Did you make a point of _not_ listening to my instructions?"

"Sorry, princess, but I didn't exactly memorize every single millimeter of this building I can or can't step on! You're the one who's in charge of-"

"Shut up! You're so _childish_!"

" _You_ are childish!"

"Kids…" Roman sighed. "Get me out of this cage, and I'll buy you a lollipop, okay? Keep in mind, though, you'll have to share."

Emerald rolled her eyes, but decided to give the crime lord no more ground for mocking. She fidgeted with the digital locks of the cage some more, then hummed happily as it beeped and the door lowered. Torchwick moved out of the cage and stretched his body.

"Hey, moron!" Emerald hissed. "Get a move on! We're in fucking enemy territory!"

"You don't know how cramped that space gets." Roman glared at her defensively. "But I get your point, sweetheart. Let's bolt and get you your lollipop."

The two started to move, but Mercury lagged behind, giving the next cage an obvious glare.

"Can't we even taunt her for a while?" He asked. "Or turn the cage on its side?"

" _Mercury_." Emerald said stiffly. "We don't want to talk to her."

Mercury thought of correcting that _we_ with an _I_ , but he knew Cinder was still a sore spot for Emerald. He hadn't been foolish enough to think of Cinder as a friend, but his partner had been. He nodded and followed after Emerald and Roman.

Cinder counted ten minutes from their leaving, then stood up. She took a deep breath, letting her body relax. The fire building up inside her for weeks now flowed to the edge of her skin, threatening to explode out of her at once. She shook violently, then smiled.

She trusted her hands forward, denting the door of her cage. The metal began to heat under her touch, and as she closed her fingers, it melted. Cinder separated her hands as if they were claws, tearing open a hole.

As she stepped out of the hole, the alarms of the building flared to life around her. She smiled savagely and ran, fire streaking from her hands as she also tore into an elevator. As it descended to the lowest level, her anxiety only grew. It was like the calm before the storm – and she had no idea how huge the storm would actually be.

The elevator reached the entrance lobby, and she was met by a squadron of armed men and women. Cinder almost blasted them with her full power at that moment, but she held back. There were strict rules placed upon her, but even if there weren't…

She shot a fireball at the ceiling, causing a shower of sparks to fall on the guards as the lights of the lobby exploded. It wasn't threatening at all, but it served as a big enough distraction to let her dash through their ranks, knocking a select few of them aside.

They followed her outside, but she was too quick and too ecstatic to be captured. She ran, and ran, and ran, until she found herself at the edge of the city. Cinder fell to her knees, laughing lightly under her breath. The grass beneath her fingers burned, a small inferno starting as her laughter grew louder.

She must have spent minutes that way, lost in her joy as fire raged around her. Oddly enough, it didn't spread as it usually did, destroying everything in its wake and leaving behind nothing but ashes. It seemed to stick to her as if it had a will of its own, dancing playfully around her body and shining brightly.

When the fire faded, she lied on her back, looked up at the stars, and fell asleep with a smile between her lips.

* * *

 **Wooh! That was _fun_! Lots of important stuff happening. I think this was the longest chapter yet, too?**

 **Also, you guys get a bonus. The following scene _was_ going to be included in the chapter, but it wasn't, for three reasons.**

 **1) It didn't really fit anywhere in the actual chapter. Derp.**

 **2) It got really silly and inappropriate. Like, too silly and inappropriate. I still think it's _kinda_ funny, but overall, it's not something I would ever put into the actual narrative.**

 **3) Weiss can't really kill herself in the story... (OR CAN SHE? HOLY CRAP THE FORESHADOWING IS HE TRICKING US, IS HE DOUBLE TRICKING US, IS HE TRIPLE TRICKING US? I DUNNO YOU GOTTA FIND OUT BY YOURSELVES)**

* * *

"So, Ruby." Weiss said casually from her bunker. "You're a lesbian, right?"

The redhead blinked once, looked down at her partner, and lifted an eyebrow. It was rather comical, with her being upside down at the same time, but Weiss was a bit too embarrassed to laugh about it.

"Yes… I guess…" Ruby answered. "Does it matter?"

"No, no! It's just…" The heiress took a deep breath. "Suppose you're going on a date with a girl. You want to look the best you can, right?"

"Uh… Yeah."

"So… Now, picture _you_ are the other girl." Weiss took another deep breath. "And, you know, the other girl has… Uhm… Non-substantial cleavage."

"Huh? What girl?" Ruby asked, her mind jumbled by the scenario.

Weiss groaned with frustration and climbed to her partner's bed, putting aside for the first time how terrified she was about being up there.

"Look, I'm… Winona." She said. "And you're… Blaine."

"Blaine's a boy name."

"Okay, you're… Frederica!" Weiss decided, settling for the first name she could think of. "So, I have a non-substantial cleavage. I mean, not _me_ , of course, Winona has!"

"You do have…" Ruby narrowed her eyes and started to look down, but Weiss snapped her fingers to draw her attention. "S-sure!"

"So, you go on a date with Winona. Do you prefer she show her cleavage, non-substantial as it is, or cover it up?"

Ruby just stared at her partner, realizing how absurd this situation was. Weiss seemed to come to the same realization at the same time, but it was too late now. She had to go through it to the end.

"Come on! Answer me, you dolt!" She demanded.

"I-I don't know! Does Winona like weapons?!" Ruby asked desperately.

"No- Yes- That's not the point! Frederica already knows Winona's personality!"

"Who's Frederica?"

"You!"

Ruby clawed at her hair in confusion, only furthering Weiss' frustration.

"You know what? Let's be practical." The heiress decided, sitting up straight. "Do you prefer _this_?" She pushed her shirt up. "Or _this_?" She leaned forward so her breasts were right in front of Ruby's face.

Yang stepped inside the room, humming along to a song, and looked up at her sister's bunk, then somewhere else. She frowned and looked back, not sure if she was having hallucinations.

"Weiss?" She removed her headphones. "Are you… seducing my sister?"

Weiss looked at her, not moving from her position. Ruby's eyes slowly wandered to her sister, and she mouthed _help me_.

"Weiss…" Yang said in a low tone. "You have five seconds… One… Two…"

The heiress yelped and jumped to the ground. She landed and fixed her shirt, then dusted herself, trying to appear prim and proper. The attempt failed considerably, mostly because of her crimson face.

"I was just…" She said. "Preparing for my date with Frederica."

Blake entered the room.

"…Who's Frederica?" She asked worriedly.

"My sister?" Yang supposed.

"You have a sister named Frederica?"

"No!" Ruby yelled. "I'm Frederica!"

"You're going on a date with Weiss?" Blake asked incredulously.

"No, with Winona!" The redhead frowned. "Wait, who's Winona?"

Jaune poked his head out of his team's door.

"What's all this yelling about?" He asked.

"Ruby's dating someone named Winona." Yang said.

"Oh. Is she a… you know…" He went to whisper in her ear. "A psychopath?"

The blond girl thought about it for a moment, then shook her head.

" _I'm_ Winona!" Weiss shrieked. "And Ruby's Frederica! But Frederica is Blaine, who is actually Blake!"

"Wait, does that mean… I'm Blake?!" Ruby shouted in amazement.

Weiss drew Myrtenaster and stabbed herself in the heart.

-x-

 **So that was a thing. You know, I really wish I could put something like the "Is she a psychopath?" bit into the actual story, but that would just be mean to Ruby.**

 **Anyway.**

 **Happy-Cinder-sized thanks to everyone who reviewed, followed and favorited _Falling Roses Burn Brighter_!**

 **-Zeroan**


	13. Nest

One light step, followed by another. The dash from one building's shade to next. Waiting so quietly, her breathing almost inexistent, until the footsteps echoed a secure enough distance away. The still of her heartbeat when one of her chasees turned to look over his shoulder…

Cinder dove into an alleyway and pressed her back against a wall, praying she had been quick enough to avoid detection. It was infuriating – Mercury and Emerald had never been this vigilant when under _her_ command.

After thinking about it for a little while more, though, she smiled. She was free, and they knew she would be after them… _That_ was why they were being so vigilant. Fear… She had forgotten how good it felt to instill that on people.

Still, their attentiveness was a huge problem. She might have been able to stay undetected so far, but as they got closer to their destination, surely they would grow even more wary. Even Cinder wasn't arrogant enough to think she could avoid their detection then.

She waited for the footsteps to begin again, then unglued herself from the wall. She watched her ex-colleagues in crime walk away in silence, her face concealing her frustration and tiredness.

Following them would ruin her plan. She would have to be patient and wait for them to give her an opening… And when they gave it, she would take it.

Oh, she would take it…

* * *

"And when the evil dinosaur finally fell, from its hollowed body emerged… Lieutenant Connor, who had stayed alive within it the whole time, ripping its innards to shreds and so giving the victory to the good guys!"

Nora smashed her hand against the table with so much force, the pancakes in her plate flew upward and ended up on Ren's head. He gave her a round of slow clapping, but otherwise did not seem amused at all.

"Didn't you say the Lieutenant was dead?" Pyrrha tilted her head dubiously.

"Yeah. He got eaten by the dinosaur." Nora shrugged.

"So how come he was the hero in the end?"

"Pyrrha, that's what you call a _plot twist_." The hammer-wielder rolled her eyes.

"I thought it was a dumb ending." Jaune chimed in helpfully.

"That's because you just didn't _get it_." Nora ripped a piece of pancake off of Ren's head and munched on it. " _Amateurs_ …"

Their conversation was cut short by the arrival of team RWBY, which drew various curious looks from them. Ruby had an unusual emotionless expression, while Weiss and Blake were obviously making an effort to not acknowledge the other's presence. Yang was the only source of noise from them, groaning and complaining about her injuries as she walked to the table.

"Hey!" Jaune greeted, trying to lighten the mood. "How are you girls doing today?"

"I'm fine." Weiss and Blake said at the same time, then blushed and lowered their heads, mumbling unintelligibly.

"Huh. What's gotten over you two?" Nora asked loudly, much to their discomfort.

Yang sat down and patted Weiss on the shoulder proudly.

"Ice Queen and our resident kitten have their first date today." She informed. "Both are acting like children about it. It's not like we're going to _judge_ them or anything."

"Yeah, well, _I've_ had to put up with too many jokes from you already, _Yang_." Weiss said pointedly. "Besides, our date is just that, _our date_. We'll act however we want to about it."

"Excuse me, princess!" Yang exclaimed, only to get a fierce glare from her white-haired teammate. Realizing Weiss was not going to warm up anytime soon, she got up and shrugged. "I'll get our food. Usual salad for the princess… Ruby, cookies?"

The redhead looked at her sister briefly and nodded, then returned to leaning her head on her hands morosely. Yang smiled sadly and looked at Blake.

"Blake?"

"Huh?" The faunus looked at her partner confusedly. "W-what?"

"What do you want for lunch?" Yang raised an eyebrow comically.

"Oh. I don't know, get fish or something." Blake mumbled.

Yang nodded and walked away, cursing lightly at her wounds as she went. Once she was gone, a small smile appeared between Blake's lips. If she was judging things correctly, she had just been forgiven by her partner… Maybe not officially so, but that was Yang's way of doing things – actions over words.

"You know, I think it's super cool that you two are going on a date!" Jaune said suddenly, pointing to Weiss and Blake. "Like… Super cool! Really great to lighten the mood, you know?"  
"…Thanks?" Blake spoke unsurely. "We all need some romance in our lives… Which is why you should ask Pyrrha out."

Pyrrha tried to contain her excitement, but it was very easy to notice from the way her eyes lit up and she had to cover her mouth so she wouldn't squeal. Jaune gave her a look and shrugged.

"I don't think she's interested." He said, then turned to take a bite of his food.

If Pyrrha were made of glass, she would have shattered to pieces right then and there. Everyone in the table, except for Jaune and Nora, showed similar reactions to that statement. Ruby's left eye twitched, Blake's jaw fell, Ren shook his head slowly… And Weiss seemed ready to tear Jaune's head right off his shoulders and toss it into a furnace.

"You dimwit! Of course she's interested! Look at her, she's practically served herself as a dish for you!" The heiress paused to look at Pyrrha. "No offense meant, of course."

"None taken." Pyrrha sighed. "Seriously, Jaune… Are you blind?"

"Of course not!" Jaune said defensively. "Why didn't _you_ say anything to me about it, then? How come I'm the one who has to take the initiative?"

Weiss raised her hand to make a point, but then she frowned, as if thinking better of his words.

"That _is_ a good point…" She mumbled grudgingly. "Pyrrha, how come you didn't ask him out too?"

"…Stage fright?" Pyrrha said slowly, as if she weren't sure of the answer herself.

That excitement was followed by a long moment of silence, which had JNPR picking on their food slowly as Weiss and Blake shared their bewilderment with discreet glances. After a while, Ruby straightened her posture and looked at Jaune and Pyrrha.

"Are _neither_ of you going to take the initiative now?" She asked. " _Really_? Here are the two of you, obviously in love or something, and you're _not_ going to do anything about it? That's… That's just…"

Her expression closed and she looked away. Jaune looked down at his lap, suddenly feeling guilt bear down his shoulders. She might not have wanted to, but Ruby had spoken as if she were accusing them of something horrible… Like they had been acting like fools and she had been hurt personally by it.

He bit his lower lip and looked at Pyrrha, his cheeks burning even as his determination grew.

"Pyrrha…" He said. "Wanna go out tonight?"

"I…" The champion paused. She had yearned for a moment like this for so long, it felt almost surreal that it was actually happening. "Of course I want to."

The two nodded, and just like that, returned their attention to their food.

When Yang returned, the table was filled with amiable conversation, as if nothing out of the normal had happened, but she was glad to notice that Ruby didn't look as gloomy as before.

Eventually, they begun to rise and leave for classes or training, and Nora and Ren found themselves alone. Nora nudged him with an elbow, drawing a sour expression from him.

"I told you Jaune would be the one to ask." She said. "Pay up, Ren!"

"Fine… Only you would be crazy enough to believe Pyrrha would not succumb eventually." Ren took a considerable stack of money from his pocket and threw it to her. "I swear, nobody in this school can have a normal romantic life."

"Not even us!" Nora sang cheerfully.

Ren shot her a curious look, then shook his head with a faint smile between his lips. _There's already enough romantic drama going on here. Let's keep it that way._

* * *

Emerald knocked on the door to her boss's office, nervousness tingling up her spine as her knuckle connected with the wood. She had only met with Mira once, and that had been enough to convince her that the woman was dangerous beyond belief.

Minutes passed without a response, and she knocked again, fearing for her safety as she did. Nothing. Emerald gulped and opened the door, slowly entering the office. Her face paled as she took in what was happening inside the luxurious space.

Mira was standing behind her desk, pressing a man against the wall by his throat. As if the strangling wasn't enough, though, her hand was also _burning_ with fire, melting the skin beneath her touch.

Apparently unaware of Emerald's presence, Mira reached up with her free hand and forced the man's mouth open, then covered it with her palm. His eyes widened and his body started to trash… Until he convulsed one last time and all life drained from him at once.

Mira turned and threw the man on the ground unceremoniously, then looked at Emerald and smiled, as if nothing was wrong.

"Hello, Emerald." She greeted, sitting on the edge of her desk elegantly. "It's been too long since we last saw each other."

"Yes… I-I guess so…" Emerald looked at the dead man from the corner of her eyes. "What was…?"

"Oh, him? Nobody important. An outsider." Mira said. "Adam gave me a full report of the Baxter building's invasion just this morning, and I got… upset. We all need stress relief… Don't you agree, Emerald?"

The green-haired thief nodded stiffly, knowing very well that their definitions of stress relief were spaced very far apart.

"Enough idle chatter." Mira got up and walked closer to her. They were of similar height, but Emerald felt like she was being dwarfed in such close proximity. "What have you come here for?"

"I assume you already know about Cinder's escape." Emerald said cautiously. Mira only responded with a quick nod. "How do you want us to deal with her?"

"Deal with her?" Mira raised an eyebrow slightly. "Let her be."

"Let her be?"

Mira's eyes narrowed, as if she was aggravated by the repetition, but it was only for a brief second. Emerald shivered with fear.

"Yes. Dangerous as she might be, Cinder is not a bigger priority than Beacon and the whole of Vale. If she should try to interfere with our plans, _then_ do something, but don't go out of your way…" Mira explained tactfully. "In fact, we should show her some gratitude. The information she gathered before her betrayal is still very useful. You should make good use of it."

Emerald nodded and made to leave, but Mira raised a hand, making her pause.

"Yes?" The thief asked.

"Would you care to take him out of here?" Mira gestured to the body nonchalantly. "I hate the smell of corpses burnt up inside…"

Emerald gulped and picked up the corpse. With it hanging over her shoulder, she moved out of the room, fearing that, at any second, she would feel fire behind her back…

* * *

The school gymnasium was mostly empty, as it was the middle of the afternoon. People were attending class, studying in the library, or just hanging out in their rooms… Not Yang, though.

The sound of her training could be heard even from outside the gym. Flames burst out of her body as she punched one of the target dummies relentlessly. Anyone who got close to her would be in serious risk, so she was very grateful she was alone.

Her fury was fueled even more by her injuries from the invasion. It upset her in a way she had never been upset before. Yes, she took a lot of pain because of her combat style, but it never persisted _days_ after her battles. It made no sense – she was _supposed_ to be the toughest one in the team, yet everyone else had already recovered before her.

She was so distracted by these thoughts that she didn't notice as her pain grew even more. She threw a punch and, suddenly, the world was spinning around her, legs giving out… And she fell to the ground with a loud _thump_ , biting her lower lip so she wouldn't scream out in pain.

 _This is_ … She thought, feeling the sting of tears in her eyes. _Humiliating…_

She would have been perfectly content to stay on the ground and wallow in self-pity, but the sound of footsteps alerted her to someone else's presence. Before she could do anything, though, Raven was already looking down at her with an undecipherable expression on her face.

"What are you _doing_ here?" Yang asked sharply. She didn't mean to be antagonistic towards her mother, she just really wished they were meeting in _any other_ situation.

"I wanted to see you." Raven said hesitantly, as if she were afraid of how she would react to it.

Yang felt a pang of guilt and pity hit her at that moment. Maybe she was in pain, but that was no reason to push Raven away, even if she wasn't the mother she wished she were.

The blonde got up slowly and breathed in and out steadily, trying to block out her pain entirely so she could get back to her training. But as she made to throw a punch at the dummy, Raven closed her hand around her arm, stopping her from doing it.

"You are doing it all wrong, dear." The mother said, a faint smile appearing between her lips. "You're all about taking the pain and dishing it right back. That might work for most opponents, but it's _far_ from the most effective technique."

"Excuse me?" Yang narrowed her eyes with annoyance. "What would you know about _my_ combat style?"

"Everything. I have your Semblance, and believe me when I say I used to fight just like you." Raven told, ignoring her daughter's subtler accusation. "Yang, we're blessed with the ability to endure practically any injury and raise our power to tremendous levels… But, as you're finding out, there are limits to it… And you _don't_ want to hit it."

Yang lowered her arms, intrigued by her mother's talk. Raven's eyes sparked with happiness. For the first time, they were sharing a moment of bonding, without fighting or narrating life stories.

"Let me put it simply." The Huntress said. "You can take a hundred punches and feel no pain. Your power's skyrocketing; the world is butter and you are the knife. Then comes a plane and crashes directly into you."

"That escalated quickly." Yang quipped humorously.

"Your Semblance will try to block the impact, but it gets through. Suddenly, you're feeling not only the pain of a plane hitting you, but also of the previous hundred punches you took… Enough pain to kill you right at that instant." Raven paused, allowing that explanation to sink in before she continued. "The plane, of course, is just a metaphor. It could be an explosion, or an energy projectile, or the hundredth-first punch."

"And what do I do it about it?" Yang asked.

"You dodge. Just because you _can_ endure the pain, doesn't mean you _should_. Avoid your foe's hits, and choose to take those that could give you the greatest leverage in the fight. Let's give it a try."

Almost immediately, Raven threw a punch. Yang only dodged in time because of the warning, or else she would have been hit on the face and thrown to the ground. Raven didn't let up, though, pressing forward with her assault.

Yang was happy that she could successfully avoid her mother's attacks, but that moment of satisfaction was short-lived, for she noticed Raven's small smile and lax posture. She was _definitely_ holding back. Yang just didn't know if it was because the target was her daughter, or because said daughter was tired to the point of dropping to the ground.

After a minute, Raven stopped and pointed to the floor. Yang grudgingly sat, ashamed that they had to stop so soon on her account, but also relieved that she could rest.

"That's how you should fight from now on. Smart, not tough." Raven sat beside her. "Understood?"

"Yeah, sure." Yang said, wanting to be annoyed by her mother's teaching, but finding no flaw in it. "…Can I ask you a question?"

"Of course."

"Why did you kill those grunts?"

Raven's happy expression closed up. She looked away, lips pressed together tightly. That was a topic she had been hoping they could avoid, but she had known it was fruitless hoping from the very moment that she had killed in front of her daughter. That wasn't something a young Huntress-in-training like her could just shake off without questions.

"That wasn't personal at all." Raven muttered. "I just did it because of the mission. We needed to get to Taurus as fast as possible, so I just… killed them to clear the way."

"You could have just knocked them out." Yang said. It wasn't exactly an accusation… No, she sounded disappointed and sad more than anything else.

"You're right. It was an unnecessary measure." Raven looked back at her daughter somberly. "Remember what I told you about being infiltrated in the White Fang? About how I feared what would happen to Summer if she were the one there?" She opened her hands and stared at her palms, as if they were covered in blood. " _This_ is what I was talking about, dear."

"But… But you can change, right? It's not like you killed _innocent_ people." The blonde said hopingly.

Raven smiled, happy beyond belief that she wasn't being pushed away again, but ushered closer.

"Maybe I can." She said. "Do me a favor, Yang?"

"Yeah?" The daughter tilted her head with intrigue.

"Keep Ruby close. Having a friendship like the two of you have… That's something you _can't_ lose." Raven looked down, her eyes obscured by shadow. "Losing something like that brings you to edge of despair, and you'd be lucky not to topple over it and fall."

Yang nodded, understanding perfectly what her mother meant. Clearly she was talking about losing Summer. Ruby's mother had meant a lot to her, maybe more than she could imagine… Raven's hallucination during the invasion had caused her to get Ruby and Summer mixed up, and that had hit her very, very hard.

But Yang didn't need the comparison. Just the thought of losing Ruby filled her with despair. She would tank a metaphorical plane for her sister without hesitation.

"That was a nice… thing, we had." Yang said. "I'll go back to my room, now. Weiss and Blake are out on their date right now, so Ruby must be feeling lonely."

"Don't wear yourself out. Walk slowly." Raven grimaced. "Sorry. I didn't mean to turn into this kind of mom."

"Oh, it's… actually kind of nice." The blonde assured, then planted a quick kiss on her cheek. "See you."

Yang blitzed from the gym, ignoring her mother's warning from ten seconds before. Raven reached a hand to touch her cheek and smiled.

* * *

"So…" Weiss said slowly, desperately trying to fill the silence with _anything_. "The stars are nice?"

Blake nodded slightly, looking up at the night sky quietly. Nervous as they were, neither of the girls had actually decided where their date would be, so they had just roamed Vale in amiable silence. It was nice, but not exactly what they would call a proper date…

"You know what? I just had an awesome idea!" Blake said suddenly. "I know a place where we can go. Follow me!"

Instead of letting Weiss do just that, Blake grabbed her hand and ran, leading the heiress along whether she wanted it or not. Weiss was a bit startled by her date's sudden shift in behavior, but she chalked it up to nervousness.

Blake walked into a park filled with trees and benches, making her way deeper into it until they were at the very center. A small hill stood there, bereft of any trees to block the sight of the sky. The faunus sat down on the grass and pointed to the vacant space beside her. Weiss complied, intrigued by the route their date had taken.

"This is the best spot in Vale to watch the stars. Nobody ever comes here, so we won't be bothered at all, and there's a view clear of any buildings too." Blake explained softly.

"That's… nice." Weiss smiled lightly as she looked up at the stars. "How did you discover this place?"

"Oh." Blake paused. She had hoped they could have spent some minutes of peace before stumbling onto _those_ topics… "I came across it while I was waiting for the first day of school. I… didn't have anywhere else to go, so I actually slept here a lot of nights."

"Oh. Well…" Weiss didn't know how to react to that. "I had no idea."

"It's not as bad as it sounds. In fact, it's great." The faunus patted the grass. "It's a nice place to sleep."

Weiss grimaced, feeling like a spoiled brat. How many times had Blake been near her while she complained about the cafeteria's food or the size of their room? She was surprised Blake hadn't snapped at her, witnessing such pettiness every day.

"Weiss, don't get like that." Blake sighed. "You were born rich and a Schnee. What about it? I'm not judging you, so you shouldn't judge yourself. I just want to have a nice date."

Weiss nodded, though she was still bothered by the topic. The two lied down beside each other, looking up at the stars silently. It wasn't an activity the heiress had ever thought of doing, but she found it truly pleasant. She should have taken to these simpler acts sooner in her life.

"Blake?"

"Hmm?" The faunus rolled her eyes, knowing Weiss was never going to let them spend their date the way she wanted.

"What do you like about me?"

Blake looked at her and smiled. That was a typical thing for Weiss to do – she acted proudly in her everyday life, but she was as insecure as any other student at Beacon. Blake thought it was sweet that she was lowering the act for her, in particular.

"That's a tough question, Weiss." She said. "There are plenty of things. You're smart. I've never meant anyone that thought like you. It's like you have a library worth of knowledge inside your head."

"That's good." Weiss muttered.

"…You're beautiful."

"Beautiful?" Now she sounded in outright disbelief. "Don't lie to make me feel better! I look like a plastic doll…"

"You don't look like a plastic doll, Weiss!" Blake rolled her eyes. "Stop being so harsh."

"Then tell me _why_ I'm beautiful."

"Sure, if you tell me _why_ you're ugly."

Weiss opened her mouth to retort, but could find no proper way to do it.

"You're smart." The heiress said bitterly. "And that is kind of annoying, actually."

"Would you rather date a brainless wood board?" Blake raised an eyebrow tauntingly.

"No. You're more than good enough."

Weiss inched closer to her and, not knowing exactly how to proceed, just hugged Blake. The faunus stilled, a sense of warmth feeling her.

Maybe they weren't having a conventional date, but neither would say it wasn't a good one.

* * *

"Jaune, how come you never told me you could sing so well?"

The blond boy groaned as he and Pyrrha made their way to Beacon. Their date had gone well – very well, some would say – but he wished the part with the karaoke machine hadn't happened.

"I don't sing often." He said defensively. "I'm actually surprised I one hundred percent'ed that song."

"Me too." Pyrrha agreed. His choice of song was really suspicious, actually… " _Hotter than the sun in the middle of July?_ "

"Please don't tell anyone." Jaune muttered, covering his face with his hands.

Pyrrha's following laughter was cut short by the sound of an echoing _click_ somewhere behind them. The redhead spun around, ducking just in time to avoid a powerful kick from Mercury.

"What the-" Jaune began to say, only to have Emerald knock him on the side of his head. "Hey!"

He reached for his sword instinctively, but he had left it in his dorm. Taking your sword with you on the first date _might_ give off the wrong message.

"What do you want?!" Jaune exclaimed angrily.

"You dead?" Emerald answered, as if it was obvious. "Actually, just the girl. You're not a threat."

He threw a punch towards her, but Emerald just sidestepped and knocked on his head again, this time causing him to fall to the ground. She planted a foot on his back casually as she watched the other fight.

Pyrrha didn't have her weapons on her, but she still was a formidable warrior without them. She couldn't risk getting on the offensive, so she focused on dodging Mercury's attacks, occasionally activating her Semblance to stray his kicks off their intended angle. Still, she was fated to lose as soon as Emerald decided to attack her too.

"Hey!" Mercury glared at his partner. "A little help, would you?"

"But it's so much fun to watch you flail your legs around!" Emerald smiled deviously.

"Come on, Eme-"

His eyes widened as a streak of fire jumped from a nearby rooftop, landing right behind Emerald. The thief was too slow to react and was knocked to the ground by a powerful kick. The flames dissipated, revealing Cinder.

"Nice to see you two again." She said casually, then pointed a finger at Mercury. "Get away from her."

Mercury growled and charged at her, jumping and angling a kick at her head. Cinder raised an arm, blocking masterfully, then grabbed his leg and slammed him to the ground.

Mercury realized he had committed an enormous mistake, trying to take on Cinder alone. Even with Emerald's help, he doubted he could take her down. The pyromancer's eyes glowed, and she reached down towards his neck.

"How's this for _taunting_ someone, huh?" She hissed. "Do you want to turn my cage on its side _now_?!"

He opened his mouth, but only a weak whimper left him. Cinder smiled widely, the skin of her fingers turning red as she pressed them around his throat… Oh, it felt cathartic to watch him squirm under her power…

Mercury was saved of a permanent injury in the nick of time by Emerald's interference. The thief got back on her feet and tackled Cinder away, then helped her partner up and bolted, supporting him with her arms.

Cinder took a few steps towards them, her eyes burning with the need for more violence. It would be pathetically easy to catch up to them…

"Cinder?" Pyrrha called hesitantly. "What are you _doing_ here?"

Cinder whipped her head around to look at the champion, getting ready to attack her too. But Pyrrha was kneeling beside Jaune, whose hair was dirty with blood. The redhead looked away from him briefly, her eyes wavering with fear as she took in Cinder's burning hands.

The fugitive blinked, and just like that, the flames in her eyes and hands faded. She took a step towards the students, but Pyrrha tensed visibly, as if in preparation to defend them against her. Cinder paused and gestured weakly towards Jaune.

"Is he okay?" She asked softly.

"Yes. He just hit his head hard when he fell." Pyrrha answered cautiously.

"I… I could help you get him back to Beacon?" Cinder offered.

"No… I think it would be best if you stayed far away from there." The champion took Jaune in her arms and got up. "I mean it. Don't get near _her_."

Cinder's shoulders dropped. She knew very well who _her_ was.

After one last warning glare, Pyrrha turned and started to walk back to Beacon.

* * *

Yang walked inside her room quietly, thoughts of her mother and everything she had said filling her head. It was so strange – for so many years, wondering about her mother had been a rare occurrence. It had always been important to her, of course, but it wasn't something that occupied her mind every day. And now… Now there Raven was, part of her life whether she wanted it or not.

The blonde looked up at her sister's bunker and found the redhead just lying there on her side, silver eyes fixed on the opposing wall with conflicting emotions. Yang smiled sadly and jumped up to the bed, sitting beside the younger girl.

"Hey." Ruby said quietly.

"Hi, sis." Yang leaned over to part her sister's hair away from her eyes. "You thinking about Cinder?"

"…Yeah."

"Do you wanna talk about it?"

When Ruby stayed silent, Yang decided to take the initiative anyway. She had been too passive while Cinder was at the school… She wouldn't let things get out of hand again.

"Things will get better, Ruby. We just gotta finish this whole mess, right? The White Fang's got nothing on us." She said. "So what if Cinder's out there? She wouldn't dare come any close to you, not here… And out there, if she even _tried_ … You know I'd kick her ass."

"Thanks. I just…" Ruby closed her eyes. "I don't know, Yang. It's so confusing. I really liked her, and… I don't know if she liked me too. But it felt real, you know?"

"Ruby, she is kind of a psychopath…" Yang noted softly.

Ruby sat up suddenly, her eyes narrowed with frustration.

"Is she, though? I mean, she killed people, right? But… But your mother kills people too. Is _she_ a psychopath? Are you going to condemn her too?" She asked sharply.

"I…" Yang frowned. "She had her reasons."

"That's great. I'm all for forgiveness." Ruby crossed her arms. "Yet nobody bothered to learn Cinder's reasons."

Yang lied down on her back, blowing a strand of hair off her face. There seemed to be no way to comfort her sister… Why couldn't Ruby just cry, instead of posing moral questions to her?

A knock on their door made her sit up again. A smile appeared between Yang's lips. With Weiss and Blake back from their date, the mood would be _much_ better. She couldn't wait to unleash her practiced jokes on the heiress and her partner…

Unfortunately, it was Pyrrha who entered the room. Yang frowned, assuming that this meant bad news. Not only was it unusual for Pyrrha to visit them alone, but she also had a solemn expression on her face.

"Hi…" She looked from Ruby to Yang. "Something happened. Cinder's involved."

Ruby's eyes lit up, while Yang felt like punching her own face in frustration.

 _Things can never be troublesome enough…_

* * *

 **Sorry, Yang. That's just the way things have to be.**

 **These chapters are getting so much longer now. There's so much going on... Gah. But more content is always cool, as long as the quality doesn't drop! So yay!**

 **Also, can I just say it's getting really hard to come up with the chapter titles now? The theme of this Act is birds and related things. And damnit, there's only so much bird stuff in the world. (This is totally not me drawing attention to my super cool thematic chapter titles. Nope. Not at all. Why are you scrolling up?)**

 **Metaphorical-plane-sized thanks to everyone who reviewed, followed and favorited _Falling Roses Burn Brighter_!**

 **-Zeroan**


	14. Joined migration

"Blond…?" Cinder mused quietly as she looked at herself in the stylist's shop. "Hm. Too colorful…"

She felt vulnerable, and not only because there were at least a dozen more costumers that might recognize her as a wanted criminal being tended to in the same shop, but also because of the very nature of her current dilemma… Masterful infiltrator as she was, Cinder had never taken the effort to change her appearance so drastically. There had no reason to – she was _that_ good at her job.

 _Had been_ , she corrected herself mentally.

"…Maybe some shade of brown." She shook her head. "That would barely be a change…"

"How about red?" Her assigned hairdresser suggested cheerfully. "I bet you'd look good in red!"

" _No_." Cinder replied immediately, a frown appearing on her forehead. "I'll just go with blond."

"As you wish." The hairdresser shrugged, mystified by her customer's strong refusal. "So, shoulder-length, tinged blond. That's it?"

Cinder sat on her chair and met eyes with her reflection. She knew she was making too much of the occasion, but that would be the last time in a long while – maybe forever – she would ever wear that look. She felt both relieved and sad.

"Yes." She closed her eyes. "That's it."

* * *

The styling took an hour of her day, and she went through it silently, glad that the hairdresser gave up on engaging her in conversation after her first failed attempts. When she was done, Cinder barely recognized herself on the mirror: her hair fell orderly to her shoulders with a much brighter shade. She suspected most people would mistake her for someone much younger than she actually was, now.

She paid with the money Ozpin had lent her – for this purpose exactly – then exited the shop, pondering on her next move. Her face might look different, but her clothing… The red dress was _not_ meant for someone younger than her.

That quest was significantly easier. She didn't want to draw any attention, so she settled for a few white t-shirts and skirts that fell to her knees. In a spout of irrationality, she also bought a red cloak… And she only realized that when she had already paid and exited the shop.

Her eyes sparked with anger – she had been smart enough to _not_ tinge her hair red, yet not long after that she went and bought that damned cloak. She was really beginning to doubt how she had ever had the focus to become a master criminal.

Last on her list… Getting a job. _That shouldn't take too much time_ , she thought hopefully. _...Right?_

* * *

Weiss examined Blake intently, her eyes narrowing so much the sight was almost comical. She wouldn't, _couldn't_ , miss a single movement from that sneaky faunus… She who had had the audacity to lie to her face and to commit so many nefarious crimes against her people… She would pay for all that.

When Blake sighed, Weiss almost jumped to stand on her seat.

"Weiss." The faunus said dryly. "It's your turn."

"Oh. Right." Weiss looked down at the chessboard. "Sorry."

The heiress went on staring at the board for another five minutes, time during which Blake became increasingly frustrated and bored. Finally, Weiss reached her hand forward and, as if her life were on the line, gently pushed a peon forward one space.

"Done." She said, and raised her chin proudly.

"Okay." Blake rolled her eyes and moved a piece casually. "Checkmate."

"What." Weiss glanced between the board and her teammate. "But- My plans- That's not _fair_!"

"Everything's fair in love and war." The faunus leaned forward to rest her head on top of her joined hands, staring intently at Weiss as she did. "And this, Miss Schnee, appears to be both."

Weiss' blush was interrupted by a snicker from Yang and a groan from Ruby, who were doing their own activities in their beds.

"Get a room!" The redhead whined, making a disgusted face.

" _Don't_ get a room!" Yang exclaimed cheerfully. "Well, it's like you two _need_ a room, am I right?"

"For the tenth damned time, Yang, we did not do anything… _improper_ , during our first date. We just watched the stars." Weiss crossed her arms proudly. "Unlike _some_ people, Blake and I are not the type to rush our affairs like a speeding train. I'll have you know, in fact, that we have not even _kissed_."

Blake faked a cough.

" _Liar_."

Weiss' face turned a deep crimson shade, and she stood up stiffly and went to sit on her bed, making an effort to avoid any of her teammates' gaze. Yang nodded to Blake proudly.

The heiress was saved from further humiliation by the loud noise of Ruby's scythe firing off. Weiss covered her ears and looked up at the upper bunker furiously.

"What the heck was that, you dolt?!" She scolded. "Are you trying to kill someone?"

"No! That's the opposite of what I'm trying to do, actually!" Ruby said cheerfully. "You see, I was looking through some weapon catalogues yesterday-"

"That's a surprise." Yang deadpanned.

"And I saw this innovative, _non-lethal_ round that's compatible with Crescent Rose! So I can shoot someone and not kill them!" The redhead finished.

"That makes absolutely no sense. How can a sniper round _not_ kill someone?" Weiss asked.

"Uh… There's science." Ruby frowned. "Here, let me demonstrate!"

Ignoring everyone else's screaming protests, she pointed her scythe at Blake and aimed carefully. The faunus was about to jump out the window when Ruby pulled the trigger, shooting a round rightly into her shoulder. Blake winced and grabbed the impacted area, which started to release an almost invisible white smoke. Her eyes fluttered, and after a few seconds, she fell unconscious on the ground.

"Huh." Yang leaned her head curiously to the side. "That actually worked."

"I told you!" Ruby smiled widely.

"You shot my girlfriend!" Weiss exclaimed in outrage. "And take that grin off your face, Xiao Long!"

As the heiress dragged the unconscious Blake to her bed, Yang watched Ruby load a dozen of the non-lethal rounds on a side-compartment of her scythe. The redhead's eyes were sparkling happily, as if she had found the solution to a problem she had been struggling with for a long time.

"Ruby…" The blonde said cautiously. "Why are you so interested in non-lethal equipment all of a sudden?"

"Because killing bad. Duh?" Ruby giggled, but did not meet eyes with her sister.

"So this has _nothing_ to do with Cinder." Yang rolled her eyes tiredly. "Ruby, I've already told you-"

"Stop treating me like a kid!" Ruby interrupted angrily. "If I want non-lethal rounds, I'll use them, and if I want to use them on Cinder, I'll do that too!"

Yang flinched, caught off-guard by her sister's sudden hostility. Before she could do anything, Ruby jumped to the ground and marched out of the room, taking her scythe along with her.

The blonde looked down at her lap sadly. Maybe she had been too direct, or outright wrong. Even if Cinder was free, that didn't mean Ruby was thinking of her every second she spent with her eyes open. There was no doubt she was still hung up on that _rascal_ , but Yang was not helping by bringing her up so often.

"Uhm…" Weiss looked towards the open door worriedly. "Should we do something…?"

"Let her be. She has the right to be pissed off." Yang sighed.

"But… She's just discovered non-lethal rounds, and she took her loaded scythe with her."

Yang's mouth formed a perfect 'o' shape as she imagined her angry little sister marching through the halls of Beacon, shooting innocent bystanders to unconsciousness.

"That's a good point, princess." She gulped. "Let's find her before Ozpin expels us!"

Yang raced out of the room in a hurry. Weiss stood up, patted Blake softly on the forehead, then followed, cursing her bad luck with teammates once again.

* * *

Just as Cinder had expected, finding a job _did_ take a long time. In fact, it was taking _too much_ time. She had wandered through the busy streets of commerce in Vale, questioning owners of shops and restaurants about job openings. Some had been kind, others dismissive, and the majority impatient, and they all had one thing in common: a lack of what she needed.

She stopped searching as lunchtime arrived. Her failure left her crestfallen. She knew she could get a job… Not a glamorous one, something simple like washing dishes or waitressing. Whatever people needed of her. But apparently these jobs were so simple that, indeed, there were no vacancies for them. It was unfair.

Cinder wondered if that's how everyone felt when they started their working lives. She doubted those big restaurant owners had started small… Most had probably inherited their family's business. That wasn't something she had ever been able to count on.

She had no money left to buy a full meal, so she wandered to a familiar place – _Iroh's Teashop_. It brought back painful memories, but its tea was still fantastic, and she could afford a few cups. The way she saw, she even _deserved_ them!

The place was not crowded, even at such a busy hour, so Cinder had the luxury to sit at her preferred table – one by the window, where she could stare at the street and ponder her predicament.

Her thinking was interrupted when a loud argument broke between the owner of the shop and one of the waiters. Cinder raised an eyebrow curiously. From the few times she had been there, she had observed that that waiter was the owner's nephew. They had always seemed to have a loving relationship, almost like they were father and son.

The argument came to a close with the nephew taking off his hat and throwing it on the ground, then storming out of the shop. The owner shook his head sadly as he picked up the hat and gently laid it on the counter. Then he took notice of Cinder's gazing, and without prompting, he sat on the seat across her and poured some tea for himself.

"I'm terribly sorry about that." He sighed. "I don't like to expose my clientele to such negative emotions. It heavies the soul, even if you are just onlookers."

"I see." Cinder took a sip carefully. "What is that about _honor_ I heard?"

"Oh, that? My nephew's… Ah, he's a complicated young man. I won't bother you with his trials. He'll be back… And if he doesn't… Well, he'll find the place where his heart belongs." The man smiled. "But that's enough about him. You, young lady, seem to be rather troubled yourself."

Cinder stayed silent for a moment. It injured her pride that the man – Iroh, she assumed – had been able to read her so easily. She wanted to comfort herself by thinking he was very astute, but it was more probable that she had let herself be read by even the most oblivious of fools.

"Indeed." She said calmly. "Recent times have been… troublesome. I'm trying for a change."

"It's good that you're doing that, instead of clinging on to past injuries." Iroh nodded. "Yet you seem so sad… Is change what you really want?"

"Change is what I need."

He stared at her intently for a few minutes, his eyes wise and observant. Cinder did her best to not appear bothered or unnerved.

"What is your name?" He finally asked.

"I'm…" She paused. "I'm Jasmine."

"Like the tea!" Iroh bellowed gleefully.

"And the flower." Cinder smiled slightly.

"Yes, yes… So, Jasmine, how would you like to take my nephew's position while he is gone?"

Her eyes widened with surprised, and he did not fail to notice it.

"I saw you moving from place to place all morning, lady. It's a tragedy, really, that you weren't accepted anywhere." Iroh sighed. "They all lied to you. Most of them do have open spots, but they saw your desperation and this burden you carry on your shoulders, and they wanted nothing to do with it. They would rather turn away than help a person in need."

"That seems harsh." Cinder said quietly. "Maybe they were wise to reject me. I do bring trouble, sir."

"You do?" He smiled. "Lovely! You're hired!"

She stared at him, flabbergasted, but before she could say anything, he went to the counter and threw her his nephew's old hat.

"Come on, Jasmine!" He said. "Let's make people some fine tea!"

Cinder put on the hat unsurely, then smiled and followed him.

* * *

When Raven entered Beacon's gymnasium, the last thing she expected to see was Ruby bashing a target dummy's head in with her scythe, but that was exactly what she saw. The woman made to leave, but hesitated as she watched the young girl vent her anger. It was a somewhat familiar sight, if not a haunting one.

"Did that dummy offend you personally?" She asked lightly as she approached the redhead.

Ruby looked back at her and stopped her motions, almost as if she were embarrassed of being caught doing them.

"Go on." Raven chuckled. "I don't mind."

Ruby promptly chopped the head of the dummy off, then swung her scythe skillfully until it rested over her shoulders. The corner of Raven's lips turned up, recognizing the young girl's attempt at showing off.

"I take it something happened that upset you a lot." The Huntress noted. "Do you have anything to share?"

"No, it's just…" Ruby looked towards her, not sure if Raven was the best person to talk to about these matters. "Just Cinder stuff."

"I see." Raven wished there was something she could say to help the girl, but she had to be honest with herself: being away for seventeen years did nothing good for her comforting skills… Not that she had been particularly good with those, especially when it came to romance.

Ruby moved on to another target and slashed at it absently-minded. Now that Raven was there, her thoughts strayed away from Cinder and to the mysterious mother of her half-sister… And first love of her father.

"Can I ask you a question, Miss Raven?" She asked hesitantly.

"Just Raven." The older woman corrected. "And, yes, you can."

"Is it weird for you that… That I exist?"

Raven frowned, not understanding what Ruby was talking about. Then the meaning of the question hit her like a brick, and she had to hide a pitying grimace.

"Not at all, Ruby." She said softly. "I did not expect Taiyang to wait for my return, especially when the years started piling on without any notice of me. I _might_ have been a little bit hurt when I first learned of your mother's pregnancy, but after… I was happy for her and for him."

"Oh. But wasn't it… Well, I'm just two years younger than Yang." Ruby frowned. "A little less, even."

"Don't worry about it. I know Taiyang loved me. But he also loved Summer. And neither of them did anything to hurt me while I was there with them. If anything is to be said about the whole situation, it's that I let it happen by abandoning them both." Raven sighed. "I don't like to dwell on these matters. I moved on a long time ago, and it was for the best."

"Okay. But how _did_ you move on?" Ruby frowned. "It all seems a bit too magical for me."

"Oh, I cried a lot and… Uh, killed some people." The Huntress coughed. "I held on to my happiest memories of Taiyang and didn't let them be tainted by anything. Yang was the key. As long as I remembered her, I also remembered that Taiyang loved me."

The redhead pondered the new information so intently, that Raven became sure she had been actually asking for advice in a very discreet way. Raven was impressed by Ruby's surprising skills at subtlety.

"That was a nice talk!" Ruby exclaimed suddenly, as if she had had a brilliant idea. "Thanks, Miss Raven!"

"It's just-" Raven sighed. "Whatever you prefer."

* * *

Despite her morning's disappointing nature, Cinder quickly found this day to be one of her best recently. Working her new job was simple: she was taught how to make the most excellent tea - love is the secret ingredient, Iroh revealed- and when she wasn't doing that, she was taking costumer's orders.

Apparently, the nephew had been the only waiter, and so she was inheriting a lot of responsibility from him. Still, the clientele was so small and quiet, that attending to them was actually very relaxing. She even got to learn a little bit about their lives, and she was surprised in herself for being interested in them – and not maliciously so.

As the day came to a close, Cinder thought that this life wasn't as bad as she had thought. Maybe after the White Fang fiasco was over and done with, she could go on working the shop… She could even see herself forgetting about Ruby.

 _Ruby_. A small smile formed on her face as she set down a cup of tea for a costumer. For days now, she had been avoiding that name even in her thoughts… But now, she felt relieved to think it once again. _I won't forget her, but… I think I can move on_.

* * *

"Okay, Ruby. This is nothing big." Ruby mumbled to herself as she stood in front of the teashop, her hands trembling ever so slightly as she reached for the door handle. "Hold on to the memories… Don't let them be tainted… And move on…"

She went inside, holding her breath as if she were diving into the mouth of hell without a way back. She was greeted with a serene sight – there were perhaps a half dozen customers spread around the shop. The owner was sitting behind his counter, preparing some tea for himself, while a blonde waitress was chatting quietly with a couple near their table.

Ruby smiled lightly. _That wasn't hard!_ She sat beside a window, proud of herself for taking such a big, mature step in her recovery.

"Jasmine!" The owner sung cheerfully. "We've got a new customer!"

"On it, boss!" The waitress said one last word to the stranger couple, then turned to walk towards Ruby.

The blonde paused, her eyes widening ever so slightly as she saw Ruby. Then, as if nothing had happened, she resumed her walk until she was beside the table.

"Hello, miss." Jasmine said, trying to sound calm, but her hands were shaking and her eyes were going everywhere but Ruby.

"Uhm… Hi. Are you feeling okay?" The redhead inquired worriedly.

"Y-yeah, I'm okay!" The waitress smiled shakily, as if she were amused by her costumer's attitude. "What would you like?"

"Hmm…" Ruby scratched her chin, struggling to remember what she had ordered when Cinder and her had gone to the shop for the first time. "Oh! Jasmine, please!"

"That's her name!" The owner shouted suddenly, as if that were the world's happiest coincidence.

"…Right." The waitress mumbled. "Jasmine it is."

She turned around to walk to the counter, and in that moment, realization struck Ruby. There, on the waitress's upper back, was an intricate, familiar tattoo, barely concealed by her white shirt. Ruby sunk into her seat, her lips forming a straight line as they closed together.

After a few minutes, Jasmine came back carrying a cup of tea. She deposited it in front of Ruby, and in doing that, noticed the girl's odd look.

"Is… Is something wrong?" She asked, knowing she was taking a foolish risk in talking any more than she had to.

"No, _Cinder_." Ruby's eyes narrowed. "Oh, sorry. It's _Jasmine_ now, right?"

The waitress's eyes widened with panic, and in a desperate measure, she sat in front of the redhead and approached the window, so that the owner couldn't watch her very well.

"Yes, I'm Jasmine!" She whispered desperately. "Ruby, what are you doing here?!"

"What are _you_ doing here?" Ruby shot back defensively. "Forgive me if I'm mistaken, but I _think_ you're an escaped criminal!"

"Shh!" Cinder covered her face with her hands. "Damnit, Ruby. Everything was going so well. I just… I'm making a change, okay?" She looked at the redhead sorrowfully. "I'm moving on."

The statement hurt Ruby, but she didn't let that show. Instead, she crossed her arms and looked away.

"Well, I've _already_ moved on." She lied firmly.

"Oh. That's… I'm happy for you." Cinder stared down at her lap. "I… I know I hurt you. And I don't expect you to forgive me. But I need you to believe me when I say I'm sorry, and that I am _really_ changing. Once the White Fang is eliminated, there'll be no trace of my past life left. Just… Don't ruin me. Give me a chance. You're good at that sort of thing, aren't you?"

Ruby's eyes focused on her ex-girlfriend once again, as if she were judging how honest she was being. Cinder seemed desperate, and she spoke so convincingly that, even if she were lying, Ruby doubted it was for bad reasons.

"Okay. But you have a _lot_ of explaining to do." Ruby said cautiously. She looked down at her cup. "So, _Jasmine_ , how about you get me some more tea?"

Cinder smiled lightly, figuring that was some sort of odd punishment Ruby was unleashing on her. The blonde got up and, after a few minutes, returned with two cups of smoldering jasmine tea.

"So…" _Jasmine_ said. "What's new?"

"I discovered non-lethal sniper rounds." Ruby told casually. "In case I needed to shoot _someone_."

"…Do they work? I mean, they _are_ non-lethal, right?" Cinder gulped.

"Yep. Blake was knocked out cold in a couple of seconds." The redhead's eyes widened with excitement, and she leaned closer to Cinder as if to share big news. "Oh, you won't believe this! Blake and Weiss! They're _dating_!"

Cinder leaned back and took a sip of her tea.

"That's actually kind of surprising." She smiled. "Tell me all about it."

* * *

 ***trumpet sounds* YAAAAAAY THEY'RE BACK BUT NOT TOGETHER  
**

 **Anyway. This was a weird chapter for me to write. It deals with things I'm not used to write about... Like Cinder styling her hair and buying clothes? Pff. Ain't nobody got skills for that! Also, I hope no ones mind that part where I took the AtLA reference to the next level. I had to restrain myself from namedropping Zuko (but I still giggled at the _honor_ joke. That was just too good.)**

 **To clarify a statement I made in the previous author's note: we're currently on Act 2 of 3. I'm theming the act's chapters to whatever I want to. Act I was fire. This act's birds - and that was a bad choice, 'cause I don't know what to name the chapters anymore. Damnit! Shoulda gone with colors or something.**

 **Honor-sized thanks to everyone who reviewed, followed and favorited _Falling Roses Burn Brighter_!**

 **-Zeroan**


	15. Leap of faith

"Ruby! _No_! You _can't_ be serious!"

Weiss frowned as she arrived at her room. She could hear Yang's heated shouts from the other side of the door, and they made her worried, not because they were uncommon, but because they were never directed at Ruby.

"What's the big deal?" The redhead's voice rose sharply. "It's not like it's forever, I can always go back! A-and things change! Maybe this time it will work!"

"No, it won't!" Yang replied indignantly. "The last time it blew up on everyone's faces! Why would it be any different now?"

"Because _I'm_ a grown up now!"

"Oh, yeah, _such_ a grown up!"

"I am! I'll prove it!"

Before Yang could say anything else, the sound of a whirling blade flooded Weiss's ears. The heiress's eyes widened and she burst inside the room, afraid she was going to have to stop an attempt at sororicide.

She wasn't overreacting _that_ much. Ruby was on her bed, holding a small whirling chainsaw next to her scythe, her tongue sticking out from the corner of her mouth as she tried to engineer some way of combining the two weapons. Yang's bed was still wavering from the impact of the blonde's panicked retreat to it.

"I'm gonna do it!" Ruby declared, almost like a threat.

"Don't!" Yang whimpered.

"What the _hell_ is happening here?!" Weiss yelled. "I left for five minutes and you two managed to throw everything into chaos!"

The chainsaw slowly came to a halt as Ruby looked at Weiss with a shameful expression.

"I just wanted to make a Crescent Chainsaw." She whispered pitifully.

" _No_." Weiss took the chainsaw from her hand. "No chainsaws. That's a ground rule. Understood?"

"Okay…"

"I never thought I would say this, but…" Yang's face lit up. "I'm so glad Weiss is here!"

The heiress's face closed up. It didn't stay that way for long before she noticed a curious absence.

"Where's Blake?" She asked worriedly.

"Here!" The faunus's muffled voice replied. "Wait a little- Beneath the bed- Here!"

Finally, the brunette managed to squeeze her way out of her hiding place. She looked up at Ruby fearfully, then closed in on Weiss, almost as if she were begging for protection.

"You hid… under the bed?" Weiss was _seriously_ questioning the mental health of her teammates this time.

"The last time Ruby experimented with her scythe, I got shot!" Blake reminded. "Call me a coward, but I still have my head attached to my neck."

Ruby pouted as she dropped to the ground, still holding on to her weapon dejectedly.

"I'm… Gonna go for a walk…" She mumbled. "Just wanted a chainsaw scythe…"

She left the room slowly. The other girls felt a pang of sadness, but knew Ruby needed to be as far away from that chainsaw as possible, so they let her go.

Once their leader was finally gone, Weiss cleared her throat and looked at Yang.

"She had already tried that once before?"

"Yeah. She was twelve." Yang shook her head slowly. "It didn't end well for anyone, trust me."

"I can imagine." Weiss frowned. "Still, I'm kinda relieved. For a moment, I thought you were arguing about Cinder. I much prefer chainsaw ideas than her being back with that psychopath."

"Aye to that, princess!" The blonde cheered.

* * *

"They call me a psychopath?"

Ruby looked up at Cinder as she poured her tea by the side of her table.

"Yeah, but… Only when they don't think I'm listening." The redhead said, as if that somehow made things better. "Sorry."

"Oh, don't worry about it." Cinder shrugged. "It might be an exaggeration, but I can't fault them for it."

Ruby's unhappy expression did not fade away, so Cinder made sure to smile at her before going back to the shop's counter. She set her tray on it and rummaged through the cups and teapots absentmindedly. After a few moments, she noticed her boss staring at her curiously on the other side of the counter.

"What is it?" She asked worriedly.

"Oh, nothing." Iroh chuckled. "I was just wondering why you always leave that poor girl alone so fast…"

"Ruby?" Cinder looked back at the redhead briefly. "She's just a costumer."

"Of course she is. I never said anything contrary to that." The old man gave her a sly smile. "You know, Jasmine, it is wise to wait on the matters of heart, but take too long, and they will sail away, out of your reach."

"I think that boat sailed a long time ago, Iroh." Cinder said, hoping her voice wasn't as bitter as her feelings about the matter.

"Boat?" Iroh rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Sailing away… Hmm… That would make a good proverb…"

Cinder went on to serve the rest of the clientele, making an effort of not looking at Ruby for too long. She was happy that Ruby was visiting her, truly she was, but she knew they were both walking across an unstable bridge over a long fall.

Ruby's visits were too frequent, and even worse, they were _secret_. None of her teammates had a clue of where she went to when she left her room. Frankly, Cinder was surprised that they hadn't confronted her yet – not even Blake, who was always so vigilant.

And… Well, Cinder was not supposed to be anywhere near her, and not only because of common sense. Ozpin had been very clear when he explained the terms of their agreement: she wasn't to interact with Ruby Rose unless she was forced to by unforeseen circumstances. If he discovered she was violating that rule, she would face a much worse time in prison.

Cinder knew she had to put an end to the visits before things turned bad. It was going to hurt – she couldn't bear to even imagine Ruby's reaction – but it had to happen. So when she served the last of the customers, Cinder disposed of her tray and returned to Ruby's table.

"Ruby, we need to-"

She paused midway through the sentence as Ruby turned her head to look at her. That single moment – silver eyes staring expectantly, a small smile on her lips – had Cinder frozen where she stood, just basking in it as if under some sort of spell.

Then Ruby's expression changed as she raised an eyebrow curiously, and Cinder woke from her stupor, realizing her actions with a great deal of shame.

"What's wrong, Jasmine?" Ruby asked, a hint of jubilation as she spoke the false name.

"Oh. Nothing. I just…" Cinder shook her head and smiled easily. "I was distracted. Was I saying something?"

"We need to…?" The redhead repeated slowly.

"Right!" Cinder snapped her fingers, pretending to remember some lost line of thought. "We need to talk outside of the shop soon."

"W-what?!" Ruby almost jumped from her seat then.

"N-not a date!" The brunette-turned-blonde waved her hands insistently. "I need to speak about… About _those_ things… _Stabby_ things and the like."

Realization filled Ruby's eyes, and if Cinder wasn't tricking herself into believing it, so did a bit of disappointment.

"Okay. Maybe next time." The redhead smiled deviously.

Cinder smiled too, even as she cursed at herself mentally. Not only had she failed to stop Ruby's visits, but she managed to give her an excuse to continue!

 _Truly, a criminal mastermind._ Cinder imagined her past self shaking her head disappointedly.

* * *

Yang's routine for the last weeks had taken a surprising, if not pleasant, turn: after class and whatever extra work she had to do, she always went to the gym to talk to and train with her mother.

Neither of the two had ever commented on this arrangement. Maybe Yang was afraid that acknowledging it would make Raven go away; or maybe she wasn't quite ready to admit to her mother that she was so… needed.

She knew for certain, however, that Raven loved their time together. It was obvious from the way she smiled, laughed, and just _looked_ at her daughter. And she only acted that way during these precious short hours – there was nothing but a shade of that tortured, lost soul that Yang had first met her as.

So, when she entered the gym and found it empty, Yang couldn't stop her expression from turning sour. She paused on the doorway, contemplating whether to stay and train alone or just leave. Before she could come to a decision, though, a hand tapped her on the shoulder. Yang spun around in relief, only to meet face to face with her uncle.

"Oh." She forced herself to smile. "Hi, uncle!"

"Expecting someone else?" Qrow shot her a knowing look. "It's okay, I get it. Your mom's running an errand for Ozpin right now. Seeing as how you enjoy your together time so much, I thought I'd sub in for her today."

"That's… nice of you." Yang felt like she was being treated much a child, but she resolved to not speak of it, since her uncle seemed so content with his self-assigned job. "Running an errand?"

Qrow unfolded his scythe and cut a dummy in half. He examined the fallen half of it with some distant, as if judging the entirety of Beacon on the fact of their training equipment being so fragile.

"Yes. You haven't forgotten we're all working on bringing the White Fang down, right? And your mom, she's pretty much our best agent." He sighed. "Loath as I am to say it…"

"I haven't forgotten. It's just that things have been pretty calm lately. Until we go on a mission, we're under no immediate threat… Not even from Cinder, apparently." Yang noted, remembering the criminal's rescue of Jaune and Pyrrha.

"Hmm. Do remind me, how did it come to be that Ruby, my precious _little girl_ , got involved with a psychopath?" Qrow glanced at his niece accusatively.

"How was I supposed to know she was trouble? Cinder seemed nice and clever and strong enough for her!" Yang frowned. "Well, I suppose she _is_ all these things, except for nice."

Qrow decided to not press the matter further. He knew blaming Yang was unfair – he doubted he would have seen anything coming if he were in her place. Besides, they had good eyes on Cinder right now, and she wouldn't be allowed to harm his nieces anymore.

Yang looked at him uneasily, as if she wanted to ask him a question, but was afraid of how he would react. Qrow turned to look at her and smiled easily, giving her unspoken consent to go ahead and ask.

"I was wondering…" She looked away nervously. "About how you feel… About, you know… Raven."

"Ah." Qrow laid his scythe across his shoulder and behind his head. "Do you want the short version, or the long version?"

"Short version, please."

"Crummy."

Yang waited for him to continue, but he never did. She slapped herself mentally – she _had_ requested the short version.

"Long version?"

"I feel like a failure." Qrow said. Yang was not unaccustomed to that tone of voice, the one he used when he spoke of the most serious of matters, especially those he felt a deep connection with. "I can't help but think that I could have made things different. _Should_ have made things different. I never should have told her and the others about the White Fang. I never should have given up on my case – neither Summer _or_ Raven needed to take it!"

His arms trembled as he turned to face another dummy. His eyes were dark and haunted, and _that_ was something Yang had never seen before.

" _Shit_. I should have knocked both of them out and gone despite their objections. She had a _kid_ to care for." Qrow glanced at his niece. "It was me, Yang. _I_ took your mother away."

He sliced the dummy in half, his face a mask of grief and anger. Yang just stared at him, not sure what to do or say.

"I fucking suck at family time." Qrow smiled humorlessly. "Have a nice day."

And with that, he turned around and stormed off the gymnasium.

Yang closed her eyes and shook her head sadly. _I should have stuck with the short version_.

* * *

If there was one thing Raven appreciated about downtown Vale was the amount of people roaming around in it. They served not only as cover for her, but they also inadvertently stopped her from going on a rampage. And right now, she _needed_ that later factor.

Her eyes turned a faint tinge of red as she glared at the window of _Iroh's_ , the teashop. She could see Ruby sitting at one of the tables, sipping at her drink, while chatting happily with another girl. It had taken a while to identify that blonde, but when she did, the anger settled in fast.

Raven was a bit surprised by how concerned she was about Ruby. In the last seventeen years, she had learned to desensitize herself from others… She wouldn't have given a second thought to much worse situations. But just seeing Cinder talking with Ruby, as if there was nothing wrong about it, made her want to beat the criminal to a bloody pulp.

Maybe it was because she was so important to Yang. Maybe it was because she was so similar to Summer. Or maybe it was because it hurt to see her heading towards a disastrous relationship again. Whatever the reason for her anger, Raven would not let this farce go on any longer.

When dusk came, Ruby exited the shop, Cinder personally delivering her goodbyes at the door. Raven waited for the younger girl to be far away before she stormed towards _Iroh's_. She entered the shop and immediately met eyes with Cinder.

The atmosphere inside the establishment seemed to drop several degrees as they stared at each other. The man behind the counter seemed to recognize something strange was about to happen, and he shot a cautious look towards his clientele. Some of them finished their drinks in a hurry and left, avoiding staring at Raven.

Raven had to resist the urge to leap towards Cinder and grab her throat. The criminal slowly set her tray down on a table, never breaking eye contact. At first, Raven thought she was preparing herself for a fight, waiting for an opening… But then she noticed something subtler. Cinder's hands were shaking slightly, and her eyes showed no ill-intent. She was fearful.

"…A cup of your choice, please." Raven said carefully.

Cinder didn't relax as she moved to the counter and prepared some jasmine tea. She shot her boss an apologetic look, to which he only gave a small, sympathetic smile. The blonde nodded and made her way to Raven, who had sat on Ruby's previous spot.

"So." The Huntress spoke with a steely edge to her voice. "What should I call you?"

"Jasmine." Cinder almost whispered the answer. "I know why you are here. I'm… Can you please not tell him? I'll do anything you ask."

Raven looked up at her, trying to discern if she was acting or not. It seemed not – the begging came too soon, meaning Cinder truly was desperate.

"You might have been borderline insane when you negotiated the terms of your release, but Ozpin was very clear. You had many, _many_ prohibitions, most important of all, _don't mess with Ruby Rose_. Why should I give you any sympathy?" Raven asked.

"Look… I made a mistake. Many mistakes, actually, but _this_ …" Cinder gestured to Raven's spot. "I'm putting an end to it tomorrow. We're going to talk tomorrow, and I'm going to tell her to stay away. Just… Give me the time to do that."

Raven looked at her still full cup of tea. To Cinder, it felt like hours before she spoke again.

"You have two options." The Huntress said. "You tell her to go away tomorrow. I won't speak a word of it to Ozpin." She paused. "Or you don't tell her to go away. You keep close to her. Make your… whatever the two of you have, known to her team and family and Ozpin. I'll be nearby, _always watching_ , but I won't interfere unless you make a mistake."

Cinder stared at her cautiously. Had she heard that right? It was too forgiving. There had to be a catch.

"Why give me that option?" She asked.

"I don't like to admit it, _Jasmine_ , but we're alike. We've both assumed false identities in an effort for good. We've both felt the end of our blades piercing through another person, taking their life away as if they never mattered at all." Raven said in a haunted, low tone. Cinder was glad she was sensible enough to do so, or she would have been kicked out the door in a heartbeat. "And I suspect we are both feeling the _burden_ of that taking now. I've had some time to learn that the only way to lift that burden, and only slightly so, is by having something or someone to hold close to you. I have my daughter. You might have Ruby, if you do things correctly."

"I don't think you should trust me, Raven." Cinder said honestly.

The Huntress gave her a small smile and got up from her seat.

"It's not _my_ trust you need." She said. "Good luck."

Raven exited the shop, leaving behind a thoughtful Cinder and an untouched cup of tea.

* * *

"All I'm saying is, nobody with a _regular_ brain would ever attempt to join a chainsaw and a scythe together, especially in a room with her sister and trusted teammates!"

Blake hid her smile from Weiss' view as they walked the streets of Vale at night. They had eaten at a nice restaurant, a particularly expensive one chosen by Weiss, despite the faunus' protests. Blake had only been silenced when Weiss mentioned that, if she wished to not be judged for being a faunus, she should also not judge her girlfriend for being rich.

As good as the food had been, though, Blake had appreciated their privacy much more. It was not surprising. She was a romantic, after all, and living with Ruby and Yang rarely gave them any chance to enjoy each other without interference.

"And Yang's at fault too! She tried to talking to her, instead of just taking the chainsaw by force!" Weiss continued indignantly. "She has that _impossible_ Semblance of hers, and yet she doesn't think of using it during these situations!"

"Weiss…" Blake said lowly.

"I know, I know…" The heiress sighed. "I should stop complaining."

"Not at all. You're beautiful when you complain."

Weiss blushed and looked away. Before they began dating, she would have never guessed Blake was so charming. Lately, every word she said seemed to have Weiss either blushing or… feeling very inappropriate sensations she would never mention to _anyone_.

She tried to come up with something equally charming to respond with, but her line of thought was cut by a strange happening in front of her. Another couple was walking towards them, but they paused suddenly. One of them obviously looked in the direction of Blake's cat ears, then they crossed the street in a hurry, shooting her pointed looks all the while.

"Oh." Weiss looked sadly at her girlfriend. "I'm… Sorry about that, Blake. I shouldn't have convinced you to do it."

Blake sighed, her ears flattening against her hair.

"It's okay. I think… You're still right. That bow is just a crutch… And it makes me a hypocrite." She said. "How can I expect to fight for the faunus when I hide that I am one of them?"

"But you don't deserve that kind of attitude." Weiss muttered angrily.

"I don't care about those people's attitudes. They will never change, not for a long time. I care about the attitude of people like you." Blake smiled. "See, if _you_ decided to cross the street right now, I would be very upset…"

"Why would I-"

"…because then I wouldn't be able to do _this_."  
Blake leaned towards her to give her a quick kiss. Weiss blushed and only managed to emit a number of incoherent half-words. The faunus laughed at her reaction, then resumed walking, signaling for her to follow.

Before Weiss could do so, a figure landed between them, cracking the concrete beneath them. Mercury rose to his feet, a fierce smile on his lips.

" _I'm_ not crossing the street."

Weiss heard another person landing behind her and instinctively dived to the side. Emerald's swing missed her by a large margin, but she was still in a precarious position.

Blake turned around at once. Without missing a beat, she leaped and kicked Mercury behind his head, sending him sprawling towards his partner. Then she ran to Weiss, who had a really frustrated expression on her face.

"Can't you let people have _one_ date without interrupting them?!" She exclaimed.

"Weiss." Blake called softly, keeping herself focused on the situation. "No weapons. Let's run."

The heiress nodded, forming a small glyph between them and the criminals. Blake grabbed her by the waist and ran. Weiss thought the effort was a bit silly, but not without reason – Blake was the quicker of the two, and she would barely be hindered by her feathery weight.

Mercury kicked through the glyph, allowing Emerald to give chase immediately, shooting after the fleeing couple. Most of the bullets missed, but one caught on Blake's shoulder. Aura protected her from real injury, but the impact was enough to knock her off balance and send Weiss rolling forward on the ground.

"Running won't work." The heiress decided as she got back on her feet. "Call Ruby and Yang while I slow them down!"

She turned to face the two criminals, Blake running behind her as she fumbled with her Scroll, hoping it hadn't broken during the action. As Weiss raised a hand to conjure another glyph, a streak of fire leaped from the top of one of the buildings and landed beside her.

"Mercury, Emerald." The strange blonde said, mocking disappointment. "You need to stop ruining people's dates. Find another hobby."  
Weiss' eyes widened as she realized who the blonde was. Mercury and Emerald had the same realization, but they weren't quick enough to react before Cinder closed in on them and knocked the silver-haired boy down with a punch to the side of his head.

"You bitch! Can't you stay _away_ from us?" Emerald spat, dropping any affection she might have had for her ex-colleague.

"That's not the problem here, _dear_." Cinder grabbed her by the throat and pressed her against a building. "Can't _you_ stay away from _them_?"

She pointed towards Weiss and Blake, who had paused all actions to observe the fight – if Cinder's display of dominance could be called a fight.

"Listen well, Emerald. I'm only going to say it once." Cinder said, leaning her face so close to Emerald's that there was almost no space between them. "I'm going to find out who you work for. I know you won't talk, you are not _that_ pathetic, but I will find out. But before I do, you will. Stay. Away. From these two…" She shook her pointing hand. "From team Juniper…" Her hold on Emerald's throat tightened. "From Yang Xiao Long…"

Her fingers flared briefly, leaving scorch marks on Emerald's neck.

"And from Ruby Rose." She finished. "Understood?"

Emerald nodded weakly. Cinder dropped her and took a step back.

"You can go now." She said. "Enjoy your twin neck scars. It's kind of cute, if you want my opinion."

Emerald gave her a hateful glare before hurrying away with Mercury.

Cinder turned to Weiss and Blake, who were staring at her silently. Her body still burned with that need for violence she was growing familiar with lately, so she couldn't think of anything smart to say. She gestured towards the faunus' ears and smiled.

"I like your ears." She said. "They're… nice to look at."

"…Thanks." Blake frowned.

Cinder nodded to Weiss, then entered a dark alley and disappeared. The heiress waited a moment before she spoke.

"Have I mentioned our lives don't make any sense?"

* * *

The next afternoon, Cinder sat on a bench in a park at Vale. It hadn't taken much convincing for Iroh to let her have the day off, and thankfully, he hadn't made any dangerous questions.

A sense of dread overwhelmed Cinder as she waited for Ruby to arrive. She didn't know what effect her rescuing Weiss and Blake would have on their conversation, but she knew it would be emotional, and she was _not_ confident on herself when it came to that type of situation.

After what seemed like hours, Ruby finally appeared. She didn't have her usual jubilant appearance, but neither did she seem distraught. She appeared calm, which was unusual enough to sound an alarm bell inside Cinder's head.

"Hey." She said as she sat beside the blonde. "How are you doing?"

"I'm okay." Cinder answered, feeling how awkward the situation was. They never started their conversations like this – Ruby was always excited or focused on something, and Cinder was always glad to accept whatever it was and contribute.

Not this time.

"I think I owe you an explanation." Cinder said. "About my previous life."

"That would be appreciated." Ruby agreed.

"Yes." The ex-criminal took a deep breath. "I don't remember a lot about my childhood. I didn't have any parents to look after me, so I lived in orphanages, until… I don't know, maybe until I was nine or ten years old."

Ruby abstained from making any comments. Even if she wanted to voice her sympathy, she was more interested in hearing Cinder speak without interruptions.

"I've always had this power, an affinity to Dust – fire Dust, to be exact. I don't know the exact science behind it, but it's like I can draw it from what's around me and manipulate it with my will alone. But it's… dangerous, to say the least. Play with fire, and you get burned. Play with Cinder, and your orphanage goes up in flames."

"With this power, I turned to crime. It started small, with robberies and breaking and entering. Just enough to get by. Eventually, I built up a reputation, and then things became worse." She paused, wondering if she how to continue. There was no way to soften the blow, but she still wanted to try. "I hurt people. Killed them. For others, and I got paid for it."

Ruby said nothing, but her expression hardened.

"I… I know it sounds unbelievable, Ruby, but never once, in all those years, did I question _why_ I did things. And looking at it now, I still don't know." Cinder shook her head sadly. "It wasn't the money. And not enjoyment – not exactly. It's like I _needed_ to do these horrible things, was _compelled_ to."

"And that's what horrifies me. I'm feeling that need again, stronger by the day, and I feel that I'm going to _snap_ and-" She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "Something's very wrong with me, Ruby. And that's why you need to stay away."  
Ruby stayed silent for a long time, just staring at her. She leaned forward and took one of Cinder's hand with her own.

"I can't go away, Cinder. You need me." She said softly.

Cinder got up, tearing her hand away. She looked down at Ruby, her eyes watering slightly in frustration.

"Yes, I need you, but it doesn't matter! This isn't about what I need, it's about what _you_ need!" She exclaimed. "You need someone who you can be love without having to make explanations and excuses, someone who won't hurt you if you're not careful, someone who your friends won't call a psychopath, someone who-" She stopped. "Not me, Ruby. Not me."

Ruby looked up at her, her face a mask of a thousand emotions. Then, slowly, her eyes narrowed as anger sparked in them. In one movement, she got up and poked Cinder on the chest with a finger.

" _Stop_ it." She said in a low tone. "I am tired of everyone treating me like I'm a child. I am _not_ a little ball of happiness that needs to be protected! I can make my own decisions, and only _I_ can tell what I need!"

"I'm… Sorry." Cinder managed to say, almost inaudible. "I didn't mean to…"

"I know you didn't." Ruby sighed heavily. "Just don't do it again. I'm not perfect, so you don't need to put me on a pedestal and tell yourself I'm too high up for you. Whatever your problems are, we'll deal with them _together_."

Cinder looked away shamefully. Now that it had been said, it seemed so clear that Ruby was right. Cinder had been seeing her as something so beyond her, that she wasn't even Ruby anymore, but a glorification of her, and that was so _wrong_. The reason Cinder had fallen so hard for her in the first person was that Ruby was so kind, righteous and positive, and yet she was just another person, not an idol.

"If that's what you want… Then that's what will happen." Cinder smiled weakly. "How do we tell your team you're dating a psychopath?"

"Whoa there, lady! Step on the brakes!" Ruby exclaimed suddenly. "Who said anything about dating?!"

"I-I… Uh… I just… Sorry…" The blonde tried to cover her blushing cheeks, but failed miserably. "What are we then?"

"We are close, bonded souls!" Ruby paused, then she winked playfully with one eye. "But don't lose hope. I'll be available for a _long_ time."

Cinder blushed again, caught unaware by Ruby's sudden willingness to be _flirtatious_. Heavens, it had been much simpler when she was the bold one, and Ruby the inexperienced ball of nerves.

"I can deal with that." She said, trying to cover up her embarrassment. "Care for a drink of tea, Miss Rose?"

"Always." Ruby smiled, then took one of her hands and lead her away.

* * *

Emerald and Mercury shuffled into Mira's office, their eyes trained on their feet in humiliation. The green-haired thief's neck had several burned spots, while his scars were older, but covered a larger area.

Their boss looked up at them from her seat, her sharp eyes and straight-lined mouth transmitting her disappointment clearer than any words could.

"I like your twin scars." She said mockingly. "They make you a cute couple."

Emerald blushed and looked further away.

"I'm sorry we disappointed you, Mira." Mercury said respectfully. "We had Schnee and Belladonna on our grasp, but Cinder interfered again. We stood no chance against her."

"Yes, yes. At least you're sensible enough not to make up excuses." Mira tapped her fingers against her desk rhythmically. The word burned slightly at her touch, yet her eyes didn't part from her two visitors. "There's no need for you to be here. I know already that Cinder is too big a nuisance to be allowed to roam free."

Emerald raised her head curiously. Shivers ran down her spine as she contemplated Mira's meaning.

"Cinder will never bother you two again." Mira said, her eyes seeming to glow with fiery light. "I will see to it myself."

* * *

 **They took another step! *trumpets*  
**

 **Man, this chapter was longer than I expected. I honestly didn't think there was so much stuff to include, but there was. Welp. More words more goodness.**

 **I wanted to dedicate this paragraph to OrangeGalen. I love you for suggesting so many chapter names. I'll put them to use! (insert cute heart here)**

 **Crescent-Chainsaw-sized thanks to everyone who reviewed, followed and favorited _Falling Roses Burn Brighter_!**

 **-Zeroan**


	16. Broken wings

Cinder closed the door of the teashop behind her, waving goodbye to Iroh, who was still inside, cleaning up. He smiled kindly to her, then turned to swipe the counter.

She took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves. Every night, after her work was over, she went back to her hunting – Ozpin's hunting. Today, though, she felt much too nervous and stressed for it. The last thing she wanted was to get caught in a bad situation by the White Fang.

Three days had passed since her discussion with Ruby. Three days of dreadful planning for what they both knew was needed… Sooner or later, Cinder had to explain herself to everyone else. She didn't know who she least wanted to see: Yang and Qrow, Ruby's close family; Blake, who had gotten seriously injured because of her; or Ozpin…

 _Ozpin_. She sighed mentally. _Definitely Ozpin_.

She tapped one foot as she looked up at the sky, her face a mixture of anxiety and anger. Her predicament seemed to worsen the _burning_. Her skin felt unnaturally hot, her eyes took to a darker amber shade, and, more than once, she had released little spirals of fire from the tip of her fingers. She needed to get it out of her system before she did something she would regret.

Her first thought was to track down Emerald and Mercury again, but that would be going too far. There was a clear difference between stopping them from hurting other people and fighting them for the sheer joy of it. Finding random criminals would probably be equally bad. She didn't trust herself to hold back, and even them, she doubted Ruby would approve such a violent approach… Well, a _too_ violent approach, at least.

Her only option, then, was to find some Grimm. The Emerald Forest was near the city, and it was absolutely filled with the monsters. It wouldn't take more than a couple of hours to fulfill her needs and head back for a good night of sleep.

Cinder nodded to herself, deciding that would be her solution. She took a few steps, then stopped suddenly. The city plaza was empty. She was used to that. _Iroh's_ closed very late, probably the last to do it in the area. But this particular night, Cinder sensed something wrong about it… Like someone was there, watching, yet invisible to her trained eyes.

She gave the plaza a lasting scan, trying to pick something out from the shadows, but her effort amounted to nothing. Cinder shot another worried look back at Iroh, who was oblivious to her alerted state. After a few seconds, she let her guard down, smiling lightly.

As much as she tried to let them go, some habits of her previous life would always linger. But she doubted there was an assassin skilled enough to avoid her detection and who dared to challenge her.

 _Come on, Fall_. She thought, seeking to soothe herself further. _Get going. The Grimm aren't going to incinerate themselves._

She walked away from the shop, oblivious to the pair of amber eyes watching her from the shadows.

* * *

The students of Beacon were accustomed to weird things. They studied the fine art of killing evil monsters. Most of their professors had strange obsessions with coffee, storytelling, or both. Everyone had come across Nora Valkyrie at some point, and _that_ was an experience most did not want to repeat.

But, somehow, the sight of Ruby Rose, prodigious team leader and fearsome scythe-wielding warrior, pacing in circles around the statue at the front of the school, muttering incoherently about autumn and sleepyheads, still managed to surprise them.

"Come on!" She said under her breath, pausing briefly to glare down at the city of Vale. "We had a schedule! _I_ made a schedule! I can't believe – Grr, _Cinder Faaall_ …"

It was at that moment that Cinder finally appeared, walking with her head turned down, seeking to not draw too much attention from the passerby students. Ruby's eyes fixed on her, sparking with silent anger. All Cinder could do was stare back and point sheepishly to her blond hair, which was uncharacteristically in disarray.

"Sorry." She said. "I didn't have the quietest of nights."

"Yeah? Did you go out hunting bad guys _again_?" Ruby leered at her accusatorily. "You knew you had to be here early."

"Actually, I went to kill some Grimm, and… Well, it was fun. I got carried away." Cinder looked away, her cheeks reddening considerably.

Ruby stared at her, mouth hanging open in disbelief. Cinder had come a long way from her gloom, doom and death days, but to admit out loud that she had fun and feel embarrassed about it? It was enough to make Ruby forget her anger.

"O-okay, then. You're, uh, forgiven." The redhead cleared her throat and turned her back. She made to point at the school, but truly, she just didn't feel at ease being face to face with Cinder after that interaction. "So, we should start with the most important, right? Headmaster Ozpin. He should learn before anyone else, for your safety."

"Good plan, but there's a problem." Cinder sighed. "I _am_ a known criminal. It's been weeks since I became _in_ famous, but a lot of people will still recognize me. I can't just walk inside Beacon, even if my hair is different."

"Hmm…" Ruby scratched her chin, even as she gave Cinder's hair a lasting look. "Yeah, you're right. Your disguise is more beautiful than it is practical."

Before Cinder could decide if she was flattered or insulted, Ruby snapped her fingers and smiled brilliantly.

"Oh, no." The ex-criminal closed her eyes. "You just had a really bad idea, didn't you?"

* * *

Weiss walked inside her room, humming quietly as she rummaged through her schoolbag. It was a Saturday morning, when everyone was free of classes, but she was determined to get some studying in anyway, if only to set an example for the rest of her team.

Unfortunately, Blake had been taken away by Yang. The blonde had claimed that they would be having a 'partner day', whatever that meant. Weiss wasn't _jealous_ , but the thought of her girlfriend going out with their less than appropriate friend made it very hard for her to concentrate on her studies. But she _was not_ jealous!

She sighed. At least Yang wasn't expecting her to be having a 'partner day' too. She had settled her differences with Ruby a long time ago, but she would rather not spend an entire day alone with her. She couldn't fathom the thought of _anyone_ being able to handle such a terrible fate.

"Come on!" Weiss's head perked up, her having heard her partner speak in an uncharacteristically low, urgent tone of voice. "Just hold on and climb! You did this all the time back in the day, right?"

The heiress looked towards the window and found Ruby almost falling out of it, holding a piece of rope in her hands. Weiss waited a few moments, not wanting to believe in what she was seeing, before she went to the redhead's head.

"Just what exactly are you doing now, Ruby?" She asked icily.

Ruby squealed in frighten and let go of the rope for a brief moment, but managed to grab hold of it again before it flew out the window. Weiss heard a gasp from outside, which only made her more suspicious.

"I'm, uh, doing n-nothing, Weiss!" The redhead laughed nervously. "Just, you know! Training!"

"Training." Weiss repeated, not believing in the lie for a second.

"Y-yeah! Uh, Miss Goodwitch said that, sometimes, we'll have to invade evil lairs, and I thought, hey, climbing a rope to our room should be a good simulation of that!"

"Of course. That's a _great_ idea." The heiress's glare intensified. "And _who_ is climbing the rope, might I ask?"

Ruby's mouth formed a straight line and she looked away guiltily. Weiss shook her head, then stuck her head outside the window to learn the truth. She looked down and found Cinder hanging onto the rope with one hand, while searching for something to hold on to with the other.

"…Should I act surprised?" Weiss sighed.

"You're not mad?!" Ruby's face lit up.

"I'm not mad, I'm just disappointed." The heiress said. Ruby crossed her arms, much like a child getting chastised by a parent. "Forget the rope. I'll help get this insanity over quicker."

Weiss pointed towards Cinder, forming a glyph beneath the hanging blonde. Cinder let go of the rope and dropped on the magical circle, which slowly rose to the height of the room. She was met with a cold look from Weiss, and a little distance behind, Ruby sheepishly looking away.

"Hi." Cinder said awkwardly. "May I come in?"

"You may." Weiss seemed to have given up completely on protesting against the situation.

Cinder jumped from the glyph and landed on the floor of the room. She looked around quietly, noting that was the first time she had stepped inside Ruby's living quarters. One of the top bunk beds was hanging by ropes – she had a good guess as to who slept there.

"So, are you here to murder people, or are you two making out…?" Weiss sat on the edge of her bed, crossing one leg over another. "As long as you don't do these things with me nearby, I'm not going to stop you."

"She's not going to _murder_ people!" Ruby exclaimed defensively.

"Yes. We are also not going to make out." Cinder added. There was a moment of silence before she cleared her throat. "I'm here to… Start over, in a manner of speaking. I was planning on speaking to Ozpin first, but I suppose that's out of the question now."

Weiss gave the pyromancer a measured look, as if she wanted to divine if she was being honest. Alarm bells rang inside her head, especially when she noticed how hopeful Ruby seemed to be, but she decided to not act rashly.

"You don't have to worry about me, Cinder. Don't fool yourself – I don't _like_ you, but neither do I hate you. You got Blake injured, you lied to all of us… You really hurt Ruby." Weiss crossed her arms. "But you did rescue me and Pyrrha and Jaune when we needed it… And Ruby might be a dolt, but there's got to be at least _one_ good reason for her to like you." She smiled lightly. "I'm just an onlooker here, to be honest. My opinion doesn't hold any significant weight."

Cinder looked from Ruby to Weiss, quietly considering the latter's words.

"Your opinion matters, Weiss, just as much as anyone else's. There are no onlookers here. There's the people I hurt, and me." The blonde smirked sadly. "I'm hoping to form a third group. The 'Cinder reform club', if you will. There's a lot of vacancies to fill."

"Hmm. I might want to join that club." Weiss pointed towards the door. "Go talk to the headmaster."

Cinder nodded, then walked out of the room. Ruby gestured thankfully to Weiss, who just rolled her eyes, before following the blonde.

Weiss immediately reached for her Scroll and entered its texting app. She wasn't surprised to find a bunch of inappropriate messages from Blake, followed by an apology and an explanation that Yang had been the culprit. Then, she went on to send a message of her own.

 _Something interesting just happened._

A few seconds passed before Blake replied. _Hi, hottie. Want pics?_

 _Stop it, Yang. A psychopath just climbed up our window!_

* * *

"I'm _not_ going to knock!" Ruby protested quietly.

Cinder stared at her helplessly, gesturing towards Ozpin's office's door.

"Please?" She asked.

"Cinder, this is ridiculous! You're acting like a child! I'm, like, two years younger than you!" Ruby pointed out.

"Well, _that_ never was a problem before, now was it?" Cinder crossed her arms. " _Someone_ has to knock eventually, and I'm not budging."

Before their argument could escalate further, the door opened to reveal a puzzled headmaster.

"What is happening over here?" Ozpin asked calmly, looking from Cinder to Ruby.

Cinder faltered, then looked towards Ruby in search of support, only to realize the redhead was now hiding behind her.

"Ozpin. We have… a lot to discuss." Cinder said carefully. "I hope you will hold your judgement until we're done talking."

"Of course. By the look of things, however, you won't need to elaborate for too long." The headmaster nodded. "Are you participating, Miss Rose?"

Ruby's first urge was to run away and hide, but once she noticed Cinder's silent plea for support, she decided to do just the opposite.

"Sure."

Ozpin walked back inside the office, followed by the two girls. He sat behind his desk, then gestured to the chairs positioned in front of it. Cinder and Ruby took their seats.

"Sir, I've… not been completely honest to you. I have broken our agreement several times." Cinder said. "Your orders were very strict. I was to act as your agent, tailing important White Fang members and protecting their targets. You also told me never to interact again with any of your students."

"Clearly that's not what happened." Ozpin gave Ruby a vaguely accusatory look.

"It's not her fault." Cinder was quick to clarify. "As you know, I am working on a teashop in Vale during the day, to keep up appearances. Ruby unknowingly went there one day, and we…talked. And we continued to. I should have driven her away the first time. I will accept any punishment you see fit."

Ruby felt like unfolding Crescent Rose and bashing Cinder in the head with it, but she once again had to resist her immediate urges.

"A noble stand, Miss Fall." Ozpin tapped his fingers against his desk thoughtfully. "I can't say I'm happy about this, but no real harm has been done. You've done more than enough good with the freedom you've been given. There will be no punishment."

"Thank you." Cinder waited a moment before touching on the riskier subject. "Sir, I would appreciate immensely if you lifted that restriction from me. I know interacting with Ruby or any of your students is not important for the mission, but it's important for me."

"Indeed." The headmaster leaned closer to his desk, so that he could look Cinder straight in the eyes. "And why should I grant your request?"

"Because you want to." The blonde smiled knowingly. "Might I remind you of who I was? A master assassin, thief, spy… Someone very intelligent and perceptive. Your primary reason for releasing me might have been so you had a worthy agent on the field, but there's another, smaller reason, too. You want me to change, to better myself. You want me to take the coin and make my own luck."

There was a long moment of silence, during which Cinder wondered if she had gone too far. Ozpin stared at her, as if contemplating a conundrum inside his head.

Ruby just seemed really confused.

"Coin?" She asked. "What are you _talking about_?!"

Cinder looked at her in bewilderment. When she took in Ruby's expression of pure puzzlement, a string of laughter escaped her mouth.

"Oh, it's just-" She looked away embarrassedly. "Just a callback to a discussion we had. You completely ruined its effect."

"Oh." Ruby frowned. "Oh, no! I'm so sorry! Mister Ozpin, please forget I asked anything!"

The headmaster once again looked from one girl to the other, mesmerized by how such an unlikely pair had been formed.

"You are permitted to interact with my students, Cinder Fall." He said. "But I still expect you to give most of your time to the mission."

"Of course. Thank you, sir." Cinder got up. "Now, I'm afraid I have other people to talk to…"

Ruby's scroll beeped. Cinder looked at her, only to find the redhead staring at the screen with a terrified expression.

"What is it?" The pyromancer asked worriedly.

"…Uh, see for yourself…"

Ruby showed her Scroll, which displayed a text message from Yang, written entirely in capitals letters and with an exaggerated quantity of exclamation marks.

"Well…" Cinder looked at Ozpin. "It was good working with you, sir."

* * *

The door of RWBY's room opened, drawing Weiss's attention. She looked up and found Blake poking her head inside with a careful expression.

"Weiss." She said. "You made a horrible mistake."

"What-"

The heiress was interrupted by a loud, enraged shout, followed by Blake being knocked aside and Yang stomping inside the room, eyes turned red and hair shining like fire.

"Where is she?!" The blonde demanded. "Where's the maniac?!"

"S-she's talking with the headmaster!" Weiss retreated closer to the wall. "Yang, you need to take a deep breath, stay calm-"

" _I am calm!_ "

"Y-yes, of course! H-how silly of me!" The heiress slid to the floor fearfully. She was soon joined by Blake, who managed to crawl past her partner without drawing her angry attention.

Yang stood in the center of the room, breathing heavily, fists clenching and unclenching. After a few minutes, they all heard two pair of footsteps reaching the room. A vicious smile appeared on Yang's face, and all Weiss and Blake could do was hope their friend did not turn into a killing machine.

Eventually, Ruby appeared on the doorway, Cinder following close behind. The latter took a step back as soon as she saw Yang, and it was fortunate she did, or else she would have been caught in her furious grip.

"Hey! Hey!" Ruby yelled, putting herself between her sister and ex-girlfriend. "Yang, calm down! We need to talk, not kill each other!"

"Oh, don't worry! I'm only killing _her_!" Yang tried to push past Ruby, but the redhead proved herself surprisingly strong for her size.

"Stop. It! You big… child, you!" Ruby pushed Yang back. "Seriously, can't we just have a nice conversation for once?!"

Weiss and Blake nodded their approval, and were joined less enthusiastically by Cinder. Yang's eyes turned a lighter shade of red and she took a step back, but her fists were still clenched.

"Okay." Ruby took a deep breath. "I'll speak first. I am very, _very_ sorry I lied to you guys! It's been some time since I began talking to Cinder again. I… slipped out, all these times I was away. But we just talked, nothing more!"

"Oh, that's a relief!" Yang exclaimed sarcastically. "I'm so glad my little sister has _only talked_ to a _homicidal maniac_!"

"Hey! No name calling!" Ruby looked at Cinder. "Do you want to say anything?"

The pyromancer looked at Yang helplessly.

"I don't know what to say to you, Yang. There's nothing I can say that will convince you that I've changed." She frowned. "I can only ask you to trust me."

"You _can't_ , and I _won't_." Yang replied fiercely.

"Well." Cinder said in a defeated tone of voice. "I guess that's all I have to say to you, then." She looked at Blake, who had risen from her cowering position. "Blake. I'm very sorry I put you in danger, and even more that I placed you against your friends."

The faunus's gaze was surprisingly gentle, more so than anyone had expected.

"I don't blame you. I made my own decisions, fully aware of its consequences." She said. "Besides, I have no right to judge you for your past. I can see you want to change. That's enough for me."

Cinder smiled at her. Yang grunted angrily, then jumped to her bed.

"Good. Everything's nice and settled. Miss I'll-Burn-You-To-A-Crisp has her fangirls, now she can go."

Ruby opened her mouth to protest, but Cinder laid a hand on her shoulder and shook her head slowly. The redhead looked down in frustration, but said nothing.

"Thank you for not stabbing me." Cinder said to Weiss and Blake. "I should probably talk to Team Juniper too, right?"

"Yes." Weiss agreed. "But be gentle with Jaune. He might have a panic attack once he sees you."

"That's precious advice. Thank you."

Cinder and Ruby exited the room. Weiss and Blake looked at each other, glad that the situation had been resolved peacefully, but also anxious about how things would progress with Cinder.

Yang lied down on her bed, glaring at the ceiling furiously.

" _Oooh, I'm Cinder. I'm a psychopath, but everyone should forget about it, because I'm so charming and level-headed. Hey, Ruby, let's make babies and hide it from everyone else_." She muttered in a falsetto, missing Cinder's tone of voice by a large margin.

"Yang. Lesbians can't have babies." Weiss sighed. "We have discussed this matter already."

"And they're not dating anymore." Blake added.

"Screw you guys!" Yang turned her back to them and crossed her arms. "I liked it when all I had to worry about was Ruby not eating all of our cookies in one afternoon."

Blake smiled kindly, then jumped to her partner's bed. She enveloped one of her hands on hers.

"Come on, Yang. Everything will be okay." She whispered. "Don't you want Cinder to not be a threat?"

"I suppose…" The blonde said hesitantly.

"Well, that will take time. And if we're patient, Cinder might become an ally. A friend, even." Blake's expression hardened. "And if anything goes wrong, if she gives the _smallest_ hint of going bad… I'll be the first in line to take her down."

"And I'll be right behind her." Weiss added.

"Heh." Yang smiled. "I'm sure you're _always_ behind her."

The heiress threw her arms up, resolving to never offer Yang any emotional support ever again.

* * *

The visit to Juniper was relatively calmer. Jaune fainted, Pyrrha shared her support for Cinder, Nora made an improvised fort, and Ren served as a piece of Nora's improvised fort – he also nodded approvingly a few times.

After that, Ruby and Cinder left Juniper's room and found Raven leaning against the wall of the hallway. She did nothing more than share a hard to decipher look with Cinder before leaving. Ruby tried to pry the pyromancer for answers, but Cinder could only offer speculation.

They tried to find Qrow, but it was a futile attempt. The search quickly morphed into the two of them finding a quiet, secluded spot in the campus and discussing the events of the morning.

Both were ecstatic about how things had gone. Ruby had been optimistic from the start, but Cinder didn't have the same mentality. To come out of the school without any bruises and with Ozpin not cursing her had been like a dream to her.

Then again, being able to talk freely with Ruby again, smile and laugh about silly things and just forget about the White Fang… That was something higher than a dream. Impossible. A blessing and a miracle.

Cinder was perceptive enough to realize how precious her position was, and so she didn't take any other steps. She did not allow her eyes to wander, for her words to transmit anything more than friendship.

Ruby was happy. If she wanted more, Cinder didn't know – and she wouldn't take any risks. Not soon, anyway. She would let time take its course… And if it took too long, then she would start taking risks.

After an hour of talking, Cinder excused herself, saying she still needed to take care of work in the city. Ruby didn't protest, but she was obviously upset.

As Cinder made her way out of the school, she noticed a shaded form leaning against the gates. Once she was closer, she was able to see what it was: Qrow, his eyes fixed coldly on her, a black cloak giving him a threatening look to an otherwise harmless man.

"Cinder Fall." He said simply. "If you make my little Red shed a single tear, I will beat the living shit out of you."

And with that, he parted from the wall and walked past her. Cinder stood frozen, feeling terrified for one of the few times in her whole life.

* * *

The city was awfully bright at night. Even when the sun was down, hundreds of lights turned on inside houses, from lampposts, billboards… Cars still raced through the streets. People were everywhere, and it was infuriating.

And tempting.

Mira waited until the latest possible moments, when barely a soul walked the streets. She got up from the bench she had been sitting on all afternoon and crossed the street, then entered the little teashop.

The owner looked up, surprised, even as he prepared to wash his teapots and cups. Cinder Fall had her back turned to her as she swiped a table.

"Hello, miss." Iroh, she presumed, greeted. "I'm afraid we're closing right now."

"Oh. I'm sorry." Mira feigned disappointment. "I was so tired, it didn't even occur to me how late it was."

"I'm terribly sorry."

Cinder turned and smiled easily to her.

"I'll take care of it! Don't worry about it, Iroh, I'll stay the extra time to clean whatever I use." She said. "What do you want, miss?"

"Hmm… What do _I_ want…?" Mira smirked deviously as she neared the counter. She tapped her fingers against it, as if they were dancing. "I want you to stop being a nuisance, Cinder."

Iroh looked at her confusedly, just as Cinder froze where she stood. Mira stared at her amber eyes with her own, fire burning in them.

"You." The waitress muttered. "Iroh, get out."

"Jasmine, what is happening?" He seemed more concerned than angry.

"Iroh! Just _go_!"

But it was too late. Mira's finger stopped dancing. Index and middle joined to point at Iroh's chest, and a narrow barrage of fire burst from them. His eyes widened as a hole was burned where the fire struck.

Cinder dashed to her, swinging a fist furiously. Mira lowered her head, dodging the attack with ease. The older pyromancer took hold of the younger's outstretched arm and slammed it down on a table.

Cinder tried to break free from the holding position, but Mira proved too strong for her. The blonde glared at her, and grew even more furious when she noticed Mira staring right back, a playful smile between her lips.

"Now, now… Be a good girl and stop struggling…" Mira leaned closer to whisper on her ear. "Have you learned your lesson?"

"What do you _want_?!" Cinder exclaimed, her eyes traveling to Iroh, who was slowly sliding on a wall down to the ground.

"I want you to stop being a child." The older woman said. "Yes, you are a child. Do you know why? Only a child dreams of being a hero, when she knows she is not one. Only a child foolishly goes against what she truly is. Only a child seeks to hurt. Her. Mother."

"What-"

Cinder was interrupted by a knee to the stomach. She fell to the ground, breathless, and before she could get up, a foot was planted on her right shoulder.

"You're going to stop lying to yourself, dear, and join me." Mira said. She pressed her foot down harder. " _Understood_?"

"Who the fuck are you?!"

Cinder swung an arm up, releasing a barrage of fire from the palm of her hand. The flames parted around Mira, as though of their own volition.

"I'm the _leader_ of the White Fang. A mistress of fire, heiress to a most powerful legacy. My name is Mira Fall."

Cinder stopped struggling for a brief moment, long enough for Mira to smile with satisfaction. Then, her eyes flared with anger, and she managed to break free and land a blow on Mira's right cheek.

"Liar!" She yelled. "You are _not_ my mother!"

"Oh." Mira turned her head slowly, and suddenly, Cinder was being pressed against a wall, a burning hand pressed around her neck. "But I am. Will you join me?"

The blonde couldn't get a word out, but her eyes spoke a clear message.

 _No_.

The next thing she knew, Cinder was enveloped in a living inferno. Strands of fire lashed out at her like solid, living things. Red, yellow and orange filled her vision, and then suddenly blue and violet and _white_. She felt herself being thrown around, yet how, she didn't know.

When her senses came back, Mira was gone and the teashop was in shambles. The tables and chairs were splintered wood, the windows were broken, and fire spread on the walls and ceiling.

She tried to get up and immediately fell back down. Slowly and weakly, she crawled around the counter and found Iroh, lifeless, sitting against the wall. Tears burned in her eyes, but she ignored them and reached for the pocket of his shirt, where his Scroll always was.

Her head felt like it was split in two and her ears rang shrilly, but she still managed to tap her desired number. A long, long minute passed before she was answered.

"H-hey. R-Ruby?" She realized her lips were split open. "N-no. 'M fine. Teashop… I-Iroh… _She_ …"

Her fingers trembled, the Scroll flew from their grasp and smashed against the ground. Her vision spun and wavered and darkened. And then she fell, broken.

 **END OF ACT II**

* * *

 **Oh shit, son. Yep. That just happened. Is Cinder going to survive unscathed? Will Ruby and her have babies? Will Mira make a good grandmother? Find out _sometime_ in _Falling Roses Burn Brighter_.  
**

 **So, yeah. I was actually planning on ending this act a bit later (2 chapters, I think), but this felt much better. Cinder is reintegrated in the Beacon circles, but now Mira has revealed who she is - or not. This last act should be very exciting to write and read!**

 **Now to settle on chapter title themes for Act III... *sigh***

 **Not-Iroh!-sized thanks to everyone who reviewed, followed and favorited _Falling Roses Burn Brighter_!**

 **-Zeroan**


	17. Close your eyes

**ACT III**

Darkness.

The sound of fire creeping around her.

Dancing flames beneath her skin.

Her strength waning.

Concrete smashing against concrete, structures collapsing.

Explosions filling the air.

A cacophony of yells and curses.

Her life fading fast.

One voice stands out, calling, so close and so distant.

She tries to speak, move, fight, but there's nothing she can do.

A cold, desperate touch on her arm.

And then nothing.

* * *

"I got her!"

Weiss yanked on Cinder's arm, dragging the unconscious girl up and away from the heated floor. The teashop was in flames, each part of its structure succumbing fast around them. It had been a miracle that Weiss had been able to get inside the place unharmed. To get out, she would need a lot more of those.

But she didn't believe in miracles, especially when everyone was counting on her. She could still hear Ruby calling from outside, barely hearable through the raging inferno. That _dolt_ had been meaning to go inside herself, but Weiss knew she would get hurt, or worse. Luckily, Blake had been there to hold their leader back while she went in instead.

The heiress looked around calculatedly, trying to figure out the safest way to get back outside. The entrance she had taken had already collapsed behind her, and every other direction was covered in fire. Unless she wished to burn both herself and Cinder to death, she would have to take the only last option: the ceiling.

Weiss looked up just in time to see the section of the ceiling above her start to fall. She gestured with her free left arm and formed a glyph. The concrete smashed against the energy disk and shattered to pieces. Weiss faltered, the strength of the impact depleting her Aura by a large amount.

That issue aside, the collapse was actually a stroke of good luck, for it had left a gaping hole in the ceiling. It was just what she needed. Weiss repositioned Cinder so that she could hold her in her arms, then jumped and landed on another glyph beneath her feet. She willed it to rise, and slowly it did, above the fire, and through the hole in the ceiling.

Once they were out in the open, Weiss changed directions and reached the front of the shop. There, she let the glyph descend and fade away. She fell on the sidewalk, her legs wobbling as she tried to hold Cinder and stop her coughing at the same time.

The next thing she knew, someone had taken Cinder from her, and finally she let herself fall in a sitting position, her breath ragged and loud. It was a terrible sensation, one she had never felt before – and if she had her way, would never feel again.

"Weiss?" Blake knelt close beside her. "Are you okay?"

"I'm-" Weiss coughed again. "I'm fine!"

"You're _not_ fine." The faunus frowned. "You need medical attention."

"I said I'm fine!" Weiss protested, shaking her head fervently. " _She_ needs medical attention."

Blake's mouth formed a straight line, a sign of unhappiness Weiss recognized immediately. Before she could say anything else, the brunette got behind her and lifted her in her arms.

"You're too stubborn." Blake noted quietly. She looked around and found Ruby holding Cinder in a similar fashion, though she wore a much more shocked expression. Her eyes were wide as she stared at her ex-girlfriend, and her hands were shaking noticeably. "Ruby. We need to go before it's too late."

"I think-" Ruby's words died in her throat. "I think Cinder's dead."

Blake's heart ached with pity, but she didn't let it show. If Ruby ever needed her to be strong, this was the time.

"She's not dead, Ruby. She was in that fire for a long time, that's all." She said firmly. "But if we don't get her help fast, she _will_ die."

"O-okay." Ruby took a deep, shaky breath. "A hospital? T-that's… We can't do that. They think she's bad."

"Beacon, then." Blake nodded.

Ruby took a step forward, but then she froze again, looking down at Cinder. Blake cursed mentally, realizing that her leader was not going to calm down enough to do what was needed.

"Okay. Don't worry." Blake winced. "I'll leave Weiss here with you. You have to watch over her. I'll take Cinder, and then I'll come back."

"N-no!" Ruby managed to say. "I can do it, I can-"

"Ruby, there's no time!"

There was a loud thump behind Blake, and when she looked, Qrow was there. The experienced Hunter gave Ruby one fast look, then took Cinder from her arms.

"Follow me, Red." He said seriously. "Remember your training."

"N-never lose focus." Ruby closed her eyes. "Never lose focus…"

Qrow nodded, then turned and ran, his cape billowing behind him. Blake started to move, but then her arms were empty. She blinked and saw Ruby racing after her uncle, taking Weiss with her.

* * *

Yang was about to exit the school grounds when she got a message from Blake, telling her that Ruby and Weiss were on their way back. The blonde tried to get more out of her partner, but Blake was being brief – too brief, even for her standards. At least Yang knew where to go: the infirmary.

A red blur passed by her while she was in the hallway, and she immediately recognized it as Ruby. Yang cursed and went after her sister, knowing whatever was making her run so fast could only be bad.

When she finally made it to the infirmary, Qrow was laying Cinder down on one of the beds, while Ruby was talking hurriedly to one of the nurses, who just looked at her sleepily, not being able to make out a single word out of the young girl's frenzied speech. Yang looked confusedly at Cinder – she was unconscious, that was obvious, but she didn't look hurt at all. In fact, it was almost like she was _glowing_ …

Before she could demand for her sister to make sense of the situation, Qrow pointed to another bed, where Weiss was sitting. Her outfit burned and grayed at several places, her normally pristine hair was covered in ashes, and, if Yang's nose was right, an acrid smell of smoke emanated from her.

A nurse was poking away at her with various medical instruments, which drew various infuriated glares from the heiress. Blake was standing nearby, arms crossed and brow furrowed worriedly. Yang walked to her partner while giving Cinder another confused look.

"What happened?" She asked. "I mean… I can't make sense of any of this. Why does Weiss look like she took a tour of hell?"

"It's because I _did_ , you-" Weiss coughed. "…Forget it."

"The teashop was on fire. Cinder was inside." Blake said. "Weiss went in to rescue her, while I held Ruby down."

"Oh." Yang glared towards Cinder. " _She_ doesn't look hurt at all."

"Yang, this is not the time. I don't know what's going on with Cinder, but it's nothing normal." The faunus said, keeping her voice down so Ruby wouldn't hear her. "The nurse said there's nothing wrong with her – at least nothing she knows about - but she won't wake up."

The blonde nodded. Blake was right. The last thing anyone needed was for her to go on another anti-Cinder tirade.

Ozpin entered the room and scanned everyone in it. He drew the nurses' attention and pointed to the door. They glanced at each other curiously, but exited without a scene.

"Miss Schnee, how are you feeling?" He asked.

"I'm fine." Weiss answered immediately.

"She breathed a lot of smoke, and she got a few serious burns." Blake corrected, earning a glare from her girlfriend. "It's nothing to worry about, sir. She's tough beyond looks."

"I'm glad to hear it." Ozpin looked at Cinder. "What about Miss Fall?"

Qrow shook his head slowly.

"She's alive. She's not hurt, except for a select bruises, presumably from falling to the floor. It's strange, Ozpin. The fire didn't hurt her at all." He said.

"That _is_ strange." The headmaster agreed. "Miss Rose?"

"Y-yeah?" Ruby looked away from Cinder, eyes wide with surprise.

"How are you feeling?"

"Oh, I'm okay. I didn't even get near the fire." Ruby's eyes sparked with emotion – whether it was anger or sadness, no one could tell. "Do you know what happened, Mister Ozpin?"

The headmaster smiled humorlessly, wishing he could give a proper answer to that question.

"We don't know anything important right now, except that it was no simple fire. Cinder obviously wouldn't have let it get out of control. My first guess? She was targeted by an unknown outside force." He raised his shoulders. "Raven is investigating the scene right now. We'll have better answers when she comes back."

"And when Cinder wakes up." Yang added.

The phrase was followed by a moment of heavy silence. The blonde looked at each member of the room in disbelief.

"What? She _is_ going to wake up. I am definitely not her biggest fan, but Cinder is not the kind to just go out like that." She said.

"Of course. We are all thinking the same way." Ozpin smiled comfortingly to her. "I believe the best course of action is to let Cinder rest. You should all do the same. I'm proud of how you handled the situation, girls. Coordination and speed are vital for any operation, and you exceled in both areas."

"Well, it was all Ruby's doing, of course." Blake pointed out, giving her leader a nod. "If it were up for the rest of us, Weiss would have argued all night and Yang would have just stayed asleep."

"Oh, yeah?!" The blonde rolled her eyes. "What about you, Miss Serious-Business? Probably would have spent the night reading a boring novel."

"Probably, except for the _boring_ part." The faunus agreed.

The praising was not only a means to comfort their leader. Just as they had been readying up for sleep, Ruby had begun yelling about Cinder needing immediate help and had quickly rallied the team and distributed orders. She had left with Weiss and Blake to reach Cinder, while Yang, being the slowest of them all, was tasked with finding Qrow or Raven and recruiting their help.

Ozpin nodded to Ruby, acknowledging her worthy actions, but she had already taken to worrying over Cinder again. The headmaster smiled sadly, then left the infirmary. Qrow ruffled Ruby's hair briefly, then followed Ozpin.

"Well…" Weiss yawned. "I need to sleep now. I'm exhausted."

"Do you want me to carry you?" Blake asked.

For a moment, Weiss believe she was being serious, but then she was a hint of a smirk on her girlfriend's face.

"Very funny. I can use my own two legs, thank you." The heiress said proudly.

"Of course, princess." Blake replied easily. "I'll accompany you, still, to protect you from the night."

"When did you become so…" Weiss shook her head. "Never mind. Let's go."

As they exited, Yang approached her sister and gave her a hug.

"You're gonna stay here, aren't you?" She asked quietly.

"Yeah." Ruby answered. "Just in case, you know. She might wake up."

"I know. I think I'm gonna look for my mother and help her investigate the scene. If anything, it'll be a valuable learning experience."

"Okay… Good luck."

Yang smiled hesitantly to her sister, then exited the room.

Ruby drew a chair to the side of the bed and sat on it. For a while, she watched Cinder. As her adrenaline and fear died down, weariness kicked in. She bent closer and lied her head down on the mattress, lured by the unconscious beauty's warm presence.

* * *

The firefighters had arrived only moments after Qrow and the others left, Raven calculated. They had done a good job of stopping the fire from spreading, and when they were done, the teashop was grayed and falling to pieces. When she asked about the cause of the fire, they said it was nothing electrical or similar. It was too sudden, fierce and contained.

Raven already had a good guess as to what had happened, but she didn't want to jump to conclusions. When the firefighters left, she entered the ruined building and examined it. It was covered in black sooth, and no object was salvageable. As far as she could tell, the destruction had been solely the fire's fault – and if her theory was right, that was a good cover for the villain.

She looked behind the shop's counter and found its owner. She remembered how he looked from her brief visit to Cinder – an old man with a cheery attitude to match his size. Now he was just a husk leaning against the wall.

Raven looked away. She had seen more than her fair share of dead people in her long-lasting mission, but this one was a step above most.

"Holy-"

Raven sprung to her feet and turned around to find her daughter looking at the corpse in shock. The older woman cursed and led her out of the shop.

"What are you doing here, Yang?" She admonished.

"I… I thought you might need some help." Yang whispered. "What was _that_?"

"The owner of the place." Raven answered. "You shouldn't see any of this, dear. Go back to Beacon."

Yang frowned, and Raven could practically see her shock morphing into anger.

"Hell no! I'm not going back to Beacon after seeing that!" She exclaimed. "We're going to get to the bottom of this and beat up whoever killed that man!"

"I'm afraid it's not that simple." Raven said.

"Then make it simple!"

Raven sighed and looked away. If Yang was half as stubborn as she was herself, there would be no use arguing. Then she smiled, coming up with a solution to the problem.

"Alright. You can help, but don't make me regret it." She said. "Follow me, and do whatever I say."

"Are we going to beat people up?" Yang asked anxiously.

"Of course, dear. We're going to beat _a lot_ of people up." Raven looked down at her feet to hide her smile.

* * *

Weiss almost sang with happiness when she saw her bed was still prepared for her sleep, since they had all left in a hurry to help Cinder. She didn't even bother to change out of her outfit before falling down on the mattress.

Blake smiled lightly, glad to see her girlfriend dropping her inhibitions for once. Any other day, Weiss would have freaked out at the idea of sleeping without changing into proper sleepwear.

"Good night, Blake." The heiress managed to say as she closed her eyes.

She felt herself drifting into sleep, but then her bed creaked and she felt it sink a little. She opened one eye and found Blake sitting on its edge, looking at her with an unreadable expression.

"Blake?" Weiss asked tiredly. "Aren't you going to sleep?"

"Hmm. Sure." The faunus said quietly. "I was just thinking… Nobody really gave you any credit for rescuing Cinder."

"I suppose." Weiss struggled to keep her annoyance at being kept awake hidden. "I don't mind, though. I just want to _sleep_."

At that point, she thought Blake would get the hint, but she only leaned down to look at her girlfriend from a closer position.

"You know, I'm not sure you would have gone inside that place when I met you." Blake noted. "And if you did, you _surely_ would have demanded people praise you for it."

"Yes, yes! You're right! I'm marvelous!" Weiss exclaimed in frustration. "You've made your point!"

"Have I?" The faunus chuckled. "I don't think so."

Weiss would have thrown her off the bed, but Blake was too fast. She leaned down and kissed her for a long time – long enough for Weiss to forget about her weariness and to kiss back.

Then, suddenly, Blake sat up straight and smiled at her.

"Now I've made my point." She said.

"What?!" Weiss exclaimed, fully awake now. "Y-you have _not_!"

"But I thought you were tired…?" Blake tilted her head, smiling deviously.

"You _rascal_." The heiress fumed.

Blake got up, satisfied with her successful bout of teasing. Before she arrived at her bed, tough, she was tackled from behind and fell to the ground. She turned around, only to be pinned down by the arms by Weiss.

"Weiss?" Blake asked, astonished at the normally proper girl's not-so-proper behavior. "What are you doing…?"

"You brought this on yourself, Blake Belladonna…" Weiss said as she leaned down to meet her girlfriend's eyes. "You shall suffer the consequences of your actions…"

"O-okay." For the first time in years, Blake was at a loss for words.

She wasn't about to protest, though.

* * *

"Tell me where he is!"

Raven stared at her daughter in admiration as she held down a White Fang grunt and pressed him against a wall. The young man looked absolutely terrified, as if he was facing the devil himself.

"I-I d-don't know w-what you're talking about!" He yelped.

"You know!" Yang shouted. "Tell me where Adam Taurus is!"

"I don't _knooooow_!"

The last word turned into a piercing wail that had Raven turning her head away. Yang grunted angrily and punched the man on the side of the head, knocking him unconscious.

"So." Yang said. "This was a bust."

"Sadly, you're right. And it's almost dawn…" Raven noted, looking through the windows of the old warehouse they had assaulted. "Can we go back to Beacon now?"

The question was obviously a plea. She had thought taking her daughter to beat up a lowly base of the White Fang would calm her down, but it had only acted as more fuel for her rage. After four more bases, Yang seemed no less energetic than when they had started.

"But we haven't found out where Adam Taurus is!" She protested.

Raven bit her tongue. Truthfully, she did not give a damn about where Taurus was – that had only been a pretext for their violent night.

"That's okay, dear." She said. "We'll have more opportunities to find out."

She held back a grimace, realizing she had accidentally invited her daughter to accompany her again. Her regret turned to happiness, though, when she noticed Yang's face lighting up at the premise.

"Yeah! That's right! Adam Taurus will learn to fear the Branwens!" Yang exclaimed proudly.

Raven smiled and looked away so her tears wouldn't be seen. The Branwens. Maybe Yang hadn't even realized what she had said, but she had called herself as her daughter, truly and fully.

"He will, dear." She said, hoping she sounded stronger than she felt. "You can count on that."

* * *

Ruby's eyes fluttered open. The warm light of sun rained down on her from a window. It took her a moment to remember where she was… The infirmary, because she had slept there, because Cinder was not waking up, because…

The redhead straightened on her chair suddenly and looked at Cinder. The pyromancer was leaning against the wall, eyes open, but unmoving. It was a look Ruby had never seen her wear before – pure shock and helplessness.

"Cinder!" She exclaimed. "You're awake!"

Cinder blinked and looked at her.

"So are you." She said quietly. "…Where are we?"

"Beacon, of course. The infirmary." Ruby jumped to her feet. "How are you feeling?"

"I… I feel…" Cinder frowned. "Ruby, get away from me."

The younger girl took a step back, her face showing how hurt she was by that request.

"W-why?"

"It's not you." Cinder said slowly. "There's something wrong with me. I need to get out of here."

Ruby opened her mouth to protest, but Cinder jumped from the bed and moved past her, running too fast for someone who had spent the night at an infirmary. Ruby chased her through the halls, but even when she tapped into her Semblance, Cinder seemed to be too fast for her.

Cinder finally stopped when she left the building and reached the front of the school. Without warning, she swung a fist, releasing a burst of spiraling flames into the air. She growled and swung again, and again, and again, each time releasing more power.

Ruby slowed to a halt behind her, looking fearfully at her former girlfriend. After a while, Cinder turned around and faced her, a desperate plea in her eyes.

"It's not working." She whispered. "It's not _working_ …"

"What? What's not working?" Ruby asked confusedly.

"The _burning_ , Ruby! I can't release it!" Cinder's hands shook as she held Ruby's shoulders. "I'm going insane, and there's nothing I can do about it!"

Ruby stared at her, not knowing what to say or do. Cinder had mentioned the burning before, but only briefly, because she was scared of it – or maybe because of how scary _it_ made _her_. Ruby had never seen her in such a state.

"Uh… M-maybe there's some other way to get it out?" Ruby guessed nervously. "Or maybe you just need to try a lot more?"

" _No_." Cinder denied. "It's not going away _at all_."

She made to part and run away, but Ruby reached up and held her by the wrists. Cinder looked at her, silently begging to be released.

"Look, Cinder. You have this… burning thingy-problem. It's not cool. So what?" Ruby said. "You just need to ignore it the best you can. You're strong, I know it. You can't just let it conquer you!"

"It's not that easy." Cinder muttered.

"Of course not, you dummy! If it were easy, it wouldn't be a problem!"

Cinder fidgeted and looked away nervously. Slowly, however, she seemed to calm down, at least enough to the point that Ruby could let go and she didn't run away.

"You're right…" Cinder said. "But I'm still dangerous."

"I have an oversized sniper-scythe. We're both dangerous." Ruby noted.

"I guess we are." The pyromancer smiled weakly. "Thanks. I love you, Ruby."

The declaration came so suddenly, Ruby couldn't help but flinch at it. Cinder backed away.

"Sorry. It's… I'm not in my right mind." She muttered. "Forget I said anything."

"Okay…" Ruby gulped. "So… Are you ready to tell us what happened?"

"…Can it wait a day?" Cinder asked meekly.

Ruby's jaw dropped. That request was so unlike Cinder, it felt almost surreal to hear it come from her mouth. Yet she seemed completely serious about it.

"Alright. You'll tell us tomorrow." Ruby allowed solemnly. "What do you wanna do for the day, though?"

"I don't know…"

Cinder shook her head and hugged her. Ruby shook her arms awkwardly, hoping desperately that no one would witness the situation.

"Y-you're really clingy today, aren't you?" She laughed nervously.

"Sorry. It's the burning." Cinder explained shortly, and didn't let go.

For a master of secrecy and intelligence, Ruby found Cinder awfully obvious in her manipulation.

* * *

 **Cinder, you sneaky girl, you... Or, is she really faking it? Or is Ruby just making assumptions based on her awkward circumstance? Questions to be asked, ladies and gentlemen. The answers aren't here, though. Sorry.**

 **There was an awfully large amount of fluff this chapter. Huh. It seems this Act is not going to be death and misery all around! (Right?)**

 **And the theme for the chapter titles has been decided. I'm either a genius or I try too hard. Either way, if you don't know what it is this chapter, you know'll soon enough.**

 **Weiss-sleepiness-sized thanks to everyone who reviewed, followed and favorited _Falling Roses Burn Brighter_!**

 **-Zeroan**


	18. Never what it seems

Raven leant against a wall in Ozpin's office, quietly watching as people arrived for their impromptu meeting. As always, she had been the first one to respond, almost immediately so. The headmaster wasn't surprised at all, but he did share his admiration of her punctuality.

Her brother, of course, was another matter entirely. He had yet to appear – even team RWBY was faster than him. Qrow was a master Hunter, with a strict training regime and a legendary list of accomplishments, but for some reason, he despised being punctual.

Half an hour after Ozpin's call, Qrow finally arrived, with Cinder not far behind. Raven felt a strange type of anxiety as she examined the pyromancer. Cinder seemed to be almost glowing, with fiery depths behind her amber eyes, but the way she walked and looked around – it was as if she was scared of everything.

Raven knew what she was looking at: a young, frightened woman with too much power at her disposal. She couldn't help but think Cinder was better off being put back in prison before she hurt someone – or herself.

"Good. Everyone is here." Ozpin said, sitting straight in his office chair. He pointed to two unoccupied chairs invitingly, but Qrow just rolled his eyes and went to stand beside his sister.

Cinder looked at the empty chairs, realizing they were close to where Ruby and the others were sitting. Yang gave her an obvious glare, so she decided to sit on the farthest one.

"Alright." Ozpin cleared his throat. He was wearing his serious-business expression, which, admittedly, was not so different from his usual expression, but it still transmitted the tone of the meeting very clearly. "I don't think I need to clarify why we are all here. As requested by Miss Fall, she was given one day to recover and reflect on her… accident. I hope that time was enough?"

"It…was." Cinder stated. There was none of her usual confidence in her voice.

"Good. Now, we would all appreciate if you'd share exactly what happened to you. It might shed some precious light on our investigations."

Cinder nodded. She noticed Ruby staring anxiously at her, as if she really wanted to hear what she had to say too. Everyone else looked the same, but in lesser degrees. They wanted information; Ruby wanted her story.

"Okay." The ex-criminal took a moment to order her thoughts. "Before I tell you what happened, there are things you need to know about me. Maybe Ruby has told some of you already, but I'd like to make sure everyone knows. I… I'm not revealing those things seeking pity or forgiveness, but rather so that you can all fully understand what happened."

"Jeez. Get to the actual talking already!" Yang exclaimed.

"Sorry." Cinder shook her head. "I never met my parents, meaning I grew up in orphanages – at least until I became a criminal. Who my father and mother were was never an important matter to me. They weren't there with me, after all, so they had no right to be in my mind."

Raven shifted uncomfortably, while Qrow narrowed his eyes suspiciously. Cinder had a silver tongue, so it was improbable she had spoken without meaning to bother his sister.

"So, as I never thought about my parents, I also never thought about where my powers came from." Cinder continued. "If people ever asked me, I told them my Semblance was fire. It was a lie, of course, even if I didn't know it." She lighted a small flame at the tip of a finger. "This is no Semblance."

Weiss frowned, her scientific mind already questioning the legitimacy of Cinder's statement. A Semblance was the only way one could control fire in such a way, especially without the assistance of Dust. But she held her tongue and decided to ask questions later.

"On to the actual reason we're here…" Cinder extinguished her flame and looked through the small crowd. "After my visit here two days ago, when I talked to all of you and made my stance clear, I returned to _Iroh's_ , the teashop I was working for. Everything was normal, until night came."

"We were preparing to close the place when a strange walked in – a woman with black hair and amber eyes. I had my guard down, and so I didn't notice who she was. By the time I did, it was too late. She killed my boss in an instant, with _fire_."

"I tried to fight her, but she overwhelmed me." Cinder paused, as if she were ashamed of her revelation. "I was helpless. She could have killed me, but I don't believe that ever was her objective. She wanted me to… join her."

Yang looked around confusedly. Everyone seemed to understand the tale perfectly well, except for her.

"I'm gonna ask the obvious question." She declared. "Who was she?"

"The Leader of the White Fang, of course." Qrow grunted. "The bitch. I recognize her just by the description Cinder gave. Did you get a name?"

"Yes. A small victory, at least." Cinder's face soured. She clearly didn't believe in her own words. "She said her name is Mira Fall."

A moment of silence passed. Then the room was filled by loud questions aimed at her: what was Mira's relation to her; how could she know it wasn't a lie; how could _they_ know _she_ wasn't lying… She sunk into her seat and looked away, not having the answer to any of these questions.

"Everyone!" Ozpin exclaimed. Most of the present had never heard the headmaster speak loudly, and so he drew all of their attention at once. "I realize this is a surprising piece of information, but it is _not_ relevant to the bigger picture. What matters is that we know the enemy's name. Who she is in relation to Cinder is Cinder's business, along with anyone she wishes to share it with. Understood?"

He was answered with a series of slight nods and mumbles. Once he was sure everyone was in agreement, he cleared his throat, seeming to go back to his usual, milder attitude.

"Regardless of Miss Fall's personal harm in the event, Mira's revelation is a positive turning point for us. Now that we know her name, we can further our search." Ozpin looked at Qrow. "You are our expert in more…regular, operations. You should use your every resource to find out more about Mira."

"I have two things to say. Number one: I don't take orders from you." Qrow said casually. "And number two: understood."

"Great." Ozpin smiled, then turned to look at Raven. "And you…"

There was a hint of bitterness on her face, but she nodded anyways and tapped the sword at her hip.

"The rest of you…" Ozpin looked at his younger soldiers. "Stand by. I want you ready for anything. Also, I would like to remind you that you are _still_ students in my academy. Go to class, study, and have fun. Understood?"

"I like these orders!" Yang exclaimed cheerfully.

"What about me?" Cinder asked hesitantly.

"Why, Miss Fall, you should study too. You have Haven's reputation to uphold, after all." He gave her a comforting smile when she frowned confusedly. "You're my responsibility now. Should you be reported to any outside authority, I will come to your defense. I'm sure I can come up with some excuses."

No one could tell, but he was almost squirming with happiness, imagining Glynda's disapproval of such a rebellious attitude.

"It is in your best interests to stay within school grounds anyway. We don't know what Mira would do if she got her hands on you again." Ozpin said. "Your previous room shouldn't be occupied. You may stay there."

"Thank you." Cinder said quietly, not looking anyone in the eye.

"Now that that is settled…" The headmaster reached for his mug and shook it. His face soured. "Would anyone mind getting me some coffee?"

Every pair of eyes inside the room glared at him. He got up and grunted. _So much for respecting my authority._

* * *

Emerald's eyes opened to an unfamiliar place. Only a few strands of light poured from a closed window, just enough for her to discover she was in a bedroom. Of course, the soft feeling of the mattress beneath her helped too.

Her first thought was that she had been captured, but that was quickly discarded when she realized how _soft_ the mattress _really_ was against her skin. Apparently, she had gone to sleep with an unsavory amount of clothing… if any at all.

She looked to the side and nearly jumped as she made out another shape beside her. Whoever it was, they had their back turned to her. Black hair, pale skin… And a strange tattoo just beneath the back of their neck.

This time, Emerald _did_ jump from the bed, hitting her back against a nearby wall as panic flooded her system. _Cinder_? How? When? Why?! She hated Cinder's guts, and she was pretty sure the feeling was reciprocated!

Emerald decided to block the situation from her mind and just run away. She examined the floor of the room to find her clothes thrown about in a corner, to which she ran. She was midway through dressing herself when the bed creaked and she heard a drawn-out yawn behind her. She blushed and refused to look back at her unexpected companion.

"Emerald? Where are you going so soon?"

Emerald froze, realizing that voice did not belong to Cinder. No, it was Mira's.

Somehow, that change only made her panic more.

"Well, I understand if you don't want to stay, dear." Mira continued casually. "I do apologize for being so… abrupt. But… a woman has needs. You understand that, don't you?"

Emerald gulped.

"Y-yes, ma'am." She managed to say, her voice as squeaky as a little girl's. "Uhm… How long have I been here?"

"Oh, you don't remember? Some people would feel offended by that." Mira chuckled. "I caught you after my endeavor with Cinder. That was fun. You slept throughout most of yesterday, unfortunately. We _could_ have had even more fun. That's a pity, isn't it?"

"R-right…" Emerald felt like she was walking on thin ice, except there was a fire-breathing dragon right behind her. "A w-whole day, ma'am?"

"A _whole_ day."

Emerald finally managed to tie her vest properly, even with her shaky fingers. She turned around, only to yelp at the sight of Mira – who wasn't even a smidge as embarrassed as she was – and turned around to face the wall again.

"Dear, you've seen a lot of me already. I don't understand why you're so ashamed." Mira said. "Not that it's annoying. No, I find it rather… precious. You're lucky, Emerald. I'm not the kind to let my companions go after these occasions."

"Oh." Emerald was visibly shaking. "You… kill them?"

"Kill them, cut off a member, make them blind. It's as cathartic as the sex itself." The pyromancer told. "I like you, though, so you're free to go unharmed."

Emerald contained a sigh of relief and rushed to the door.

"Actually, I like you so much, I might even use you again some other time. Wouldn't you like that, dear?"

The green-haired thief froze, her hand clutching the doorknob. She felt a touch on her shoulder and nearly spun to hit the woman behind her. She hadn't heard a single noise to indicate Mira had moved, yet she was there, so quickly and gently.

Mira bent forward, her mouth brushing against Emerald's left ear.

"Wouldn't you like that?" There was none of the previous subtlety on Mira's voice. Every word was spoken firmly and harshly, to form not a question, but a threat.

"Yes, I would." Emerald's reply was almost inaudible. "Can I go?"

"Of course." Mira's voice regained its usual melodious tone. "You may go."

With no hesitancy, Emerald turned the knob and ran away, putting as much distance as quickly as she could between herself and the hellish room.

* * *

"You know, there _is_ such a thing as being _too_ energetic, Ruby Rose." Weiss said sharply. "Can you slow down at least a little? I want to look like a normal person on a normal trip to town, for once."

Ruby's face soured, but she obeyed anyway, dropping her speed so she was walking level to her partner and her uncle. Qrow raised an eyebrow, impressed at the heiress's ability at taming his niece. If only he was half as good as she was…

He still found it weird that Weiss had requested to accompany him on his little trip. He had been around her only a small bit, but it had been long enough to understand she would rather be as far away as possible from anyone with the surname Rose or Branwen. Yet she had been polite and, as far as he could tell, honest in her request, so he had allowed her to come with him.

Weiss was far less polite when Ruby invited herself to the trip. She only allowed her to accompany them when the redhead revealed she would be making a brief shopping spree.

"Hey!" Ruby exclaimed suddenly. "This is my stop!"

"Oh, finally!" Weiss said in relief. When she looked around, though, a frown formed on her forehead. "Wait, there isn't a weapons shop here, Ruby. They only sell clothes here."

"Yeah, duh?" Ruby rolled her eyes, as if Weiss was being very silly. "Cinder doesn't need weapons, she needs clothes!"

The heiress's face lit with realization. Of course Cinder was the motive… She always seemed to be, these days. In the back of her mind, Weiss worried about that, but she decided to not speak of it so suddenly.

"Okay." She said. "Have fun. And, for Cinder's sake, don't buy her any capes."

Ruby grunted her disapproval, then blurred away towards one a shop. Weiss shook her head then turned to face Qrow. He had his arms crossed as he glared at her, cape flowing gently in the breeze.

"What do you have against capes, little lady?" He asked slowly.

"I have nothing against them." She lied masterfully and smiled, making use of her family's training. "It's just that Cinder wouldn't look good using one, I believe. Not as much as you do, at least."

"Hmm…" Qrow smiled smugly and started to walk. "I do look uniquely fabulous, don't I?"

"Absolutely." Weiss agreed, following him. "Are we near our destination?"

"Just a bit more." He looked at her curiously. "Why is it that you wanted to accompany me, anyways? I can't think of an obvious reason."

The heiress looked away briefly, as if pondering if she really wanted to share that information.

"Well, I wanted to speak to you about a particular matter, one I believe you know somewhat well…" She said. "Brainwashing. Well, not exactly. Whatever it was that criminal did to me when we assaulted that White Fang base."

"Ah. I see… You're bothered by it. It's not a pleasant experience, right?" He asked.

Weiss did not reply, but her facial expression spoke volumes of how she felt about the matter. Qrow smiled sympathetically, knowing the experience was very unsettling, especially for someone of her young age.

"There are many types of brainwashing, or mental manipulation, as it's generally called. Some Semblances consist of invoking certain emotions on a target, or meddling with memories, or, very rarely, directly controlling someone's mind. We're lucky the White Fang hasn't got that last kind at their disposal." He said.

"I would like to learn how to defend myself against that man." Weiss declared.

"It would help to know what his Semblance is exactly, then." Qrow paused. "This is our building."

Weiss following him inside, vaguely recognizing the building from a few news reports she had watched over the years. It was a sort of headquarters for Huntsmen, where they could manage their jobs, gather information and, if needed, just rest.

Qrow nodded to a few people, who greeted him back happily. Weiss also nodded a lot more people whispering and glancing at him with admiration, as if he were a celebrity. Suddenly, the heiress felt very childish.

They entered an elevator and Qrow pressed a button to a high floor. He looked back at her.

"Do you remember anything in particular about when the man targeted you?" He asked.

"Hmm… I remember a flash of white, and then… It was strange, as if my thoughts had shifted completely. I looked at Blake, and I knew she was a faunus, and I felt so… disgusted." Weiss grimaced. "Just like I would have felt before I came to Beacon."

"That helps a bunch! He's a memory-dude!" Qrow exclaimed triumphantly, which only earned him a confused stare. "His Semblance scrambles your memories – it can make you think like when you were two, or five, or ten years ago. Hell, if he had had enough time, he probably would have made you crawl around the place like a toddler!"

"That's… not something I would have appreciated."

The doors opened, and they stepped out into a huge computer room. Qrow walked to a vacant device and sat in front of it, immediately beginning to type to the machine. Weiss grabbed a chair and sat beside him, only vaguely paying attention to his activity.

"How do I fight him?" She asked.

"Ideally, you would never let him get anywhere near you. Without touching, he can't affect you." Qrow said. "In the event that he does touch you… Well, if you're ready, you can fight his control. Keep hold of something inside your mind, like a memory, or a feeling, anything that'll anchor you to your present mindset."

"That makes sense. He might be affecting me with his Semblance, but because I'm thinking of something in the present, my memories will not change. If I, however, pictured myself as a baby, I would act like when I was one." Weiss smiled proudly. "Am I right?"

"….Probably? Heck if I know, I just knock them over the head before they touch me." The Hunter paused his typing to look longingly at the ceiling. "Well, there was that _one_ time I dropped my guard and let myself be affected."

Weiss tilted her head curiously.

"You… let yourself be affected?" She asked.

"Yes. It was a mutual agreement, after all. He made me feel like I was eighteen again, in more ways than one."

Weiss's mouth formed a perfect 'o' as realization hit her. Then she looked away, blushing, and tapped the hilt of her rapier nervously.

"D-don't you have a job to do? _Things_ to look up?"

"Yes, yes…" Qrow hummed with intrigue as he looked back at the screen. "Mira Fall… There are absolutely _zero_ matches of that name in our system."

"That's odd. How long ago does your database cover?" Weiss asked.

"A couple of centuries?"

"Try searching for a Fall family tree, then."

Qrow followed her suggestion, and it wielded a few results. His eyes scanned the screen, quickly looking over some texts. Weiss tried to read along, but she could only make out a few keywords – ancestry; ritual; making – before Qrow put them away.

"This isn't the best place to read such things. Loath as I am to say it, the White Fang is everywhere, even here." He explained bitterly. He took a flash drive from a pocket of his cape and quickly plugged it in the computer, copying the files while looking around him shiftily. "Miss Schnee, taking information from the Huntsmen's database without proper registration is a serious crime, one you should never commit. Understood?"

"Yes, sir." Weiss frowned. She had no idea the White Fang, or any outside force, could corrupt their way into the Huntsmen's forces. The thought made her feel a particular kind of anger – one born of sadness and helplessness. Was there truly nothing in the world that was pure and void of evil?

The way Qrow hid his flash drive and checked his scythe before walking to the elevators did not give her hope for the answer she wanted.

* * *

"Boom!"

The White Fang henchmen looked up from their game of poker, eyes widened with frighten and confusion. The metal door to their hideout rang, a dent appearing in it, before it flew off its hinges and two blonde women stepped through.

"The Branwens strike again!" The younger one yelled, before dashing to the men's table and sending it soaring through the air with a kick.

"Hey!" One goon exclaimed. "Why did you do that?! I had a royal flush!"

"Pff." Another rolled his eyes. "You didn't."

Yang knocked each of them on the side of the head, dropping them unconscious, before lunging for a third one. He bravely tried to put up a fight, but her punch shattered his guard easily, and he too was out cold. She turned to the last one, who raised his hands and shook his head.

"Nope." He said. "I'm surrendering. The Branwens win."

"Good." Yang stared curiously, noticing he was still holding his cards. "Hey, _you_ actually had a royal flush!"

"Did I?" He shrugged. "I don't even know how to play poker. I'm here for the beer."

Yang looked back at her mother, who was watching with a look of mild disapproval.

"Sorry." The daughter mumbled. "I've gotta interrogate you."

"Well…" He threw his cards at her face, but they only bounced off and fell to the ground harmlessly. "Shit."

Yang closed the distance and lifted him by the collar of his shirt.

"Tell me where Adam Taurus is, and I won't beat the shit out of you." She threatened.

"Language!" Raven interrupted sharply.

" _Mom_." Yang glared at her. "I'm _interrogating_ someone!"

She looked back at her captive, only to find out he had passed due to sheer fear. Apparently, being violently interrogated by someone while this someone's mom complained about foul language was just too unnerving.

Yang dropped him to the ground and grunted with frustration.

"You know what? This is stupid!" She said. "No one is going to rat Adam out, much less Mira! They probably don't even know she exists!"

"…You're right. This is fruitless." Raven responded quietly.

Yang's rebuttal died in her throat. She had been expecting her mother to argue with her, not to agree so quickly. It was… disappointing, and not in an amusing, childish way.

"Okay." She said. "I guess we're going back to Beacon, then."

"Yes… You go back." Raven agreed. "I'll stay here a little longer, to make sure there are no others hiding."

"Whatever. Do what you wanna do." Yang mumbled as she stepped heavily past her mother and exited the hideout.

Raven waited for her footsteps to fade off in the distance before crouching near the passed out men. She looked at them somberly, then slowly unsheathed her katana.

"You can't give me the information I need." She whispered. "But you can send a message."

Without flinching, she got up and stabbed down with her sword, piercing a man's chest with ease. She didn't dally before moving on to another and doing the same thing, and then another, until they were all dead and flooding the floor with their blood.

Raven stared at her reddened blade, a grimace on her face.

"I'm sorry." She said, then turned and walked away.

* * *

 _Quiet… Empty your mind…_

Cinder took a deep breath. She was sitting cross-legged on the floor of her room, eyes closed, fingers interlaced. She wasn't well practiced in any methods of meditation, but this one seemed fairly obvious. If it was effective… That was a troublesome question.

 _Quiet… Fire, fire, quiet! Quiet. Ruby. Quiet!_

Her face twisted with frustration. The most probably cause of the problem wasn't the method of meditation, but herself. As much as she tried, she couldn't keep her mind cleared for more than a few seconds. That she once had been a master of disguising her identity and emotions only added salt to injury.

 _Quiet… Mira. Mother? No. No! She can't be, that's… Damnit! Empty, empty…_

Her futile efforts were halted when the lights were turned on. She opened her eyes and found Blake staring at her curiously from the doorway.

"What are you doing?" The faunus asked hesitantly.

"Meditating, I think." Cinder answered bitterly. "What are you doing here?"

"Ruby bought you some clothes." Blake lifted her right hand, revealing a couple of heavy bags. "You burned that outfit of yours, and your other ones are probably lost somewhere in the city by now."

"That's very considerate of her." The pyromancer frowned. "Why didn't she bring then to me herself.

"Weiss is having a talk with her… Something about giving her giving you too much attention."

"Hmm… That is a sensible thing to do."

Blake put the bags on top of Cinder's bed, then looked at her silently. She couldn't know for sure, but the pyromancer seemed both grateful and angry at the same time.

"I'm not taking sides here, but I could bring you Ruby, if you need someone to talk to." She offered.

"No. Don't do that." Cinder said immediately. "Weiss is right. Ruby shouldn't give me so much attention, especially now."

For a moment, Cinder considered telling Blake about what she was _really_ going through – the burning, her needs, her feelings – but she already felt vulnerable enough with Ruby knowing about it.

"If you say so." Blake made to leave. "But you shouldn't keep things bottled up. That only leads to bad things. Trust me, I'm the expert of that, and I have the scars to prove it."

"Right." Cinder looked away. "I'm sorry about what Emerald did to you."

"It was my mistake." The faunus said. "Don't repeat it."

Blake left, turning off the lights and closing the door behind her. Cinder took a deep breath and resumed her meditating, but not a minute passed before she gave up.

She lied down on her side and raised her hands level to her face, then proceeded to make small bouts of fire dance around her fingers, her eyes following the flames fixedly while her thoughts made a storm inside her head.

* * *

Ozpin was preparing to leave his office for the night when Qrow barged in without warning, his cape billowing behind him. The headmaster opened his mouth to protest, but the serious expression on the other man's face made him stop.

Qrow raised his hand, revealing a flash drive, which he unceremoniously tossed on his friend's desk.

"See what is inside that fucking thing. Read all of it. I can't even describe… I'm fucking sickened." He said, arms trembling with anger. "Mira Fall. She's a monster. Cinder Fall too, probably."

Ozpin just looked at him silently while he picked up the flash drive.

"The two of them. Monsters." Qrow muttered. His eyes sparked with hatred. "But damn if I won't protect that girl. She's just…" He waved a hand helplessly. "Just read it, Ozpin. I'm gonna try to sleep now, if I can."

Without another word, Qrow turned and left the office.

Ozpin looked at the flash drive hauntingly, wondering what answers it held that could scare one of Remnant's most powerful Huntsmen.

* * *

 **Oh my, that's spooky. 2spooky4me, even.  
**

 **So many pieces, falling in so many places. The picture is becoming clearer... Until someone comes and dismantles it again. Man, it would suck if that were to happen, wouldn't it?**

 **[Sea diary; Day 2.**

 **They still haven't figured out what the chapter titles mean. I fear I'm a genius, or an egotistical maniac. Maybe both. A ship approaches. It's name is S.S. Iceberg. I must sink it.**

 **Zeroan, proud captain of S. S. Falling Petals.]**

 **Capes-are-cool-sized thanks to everyone who reviewed, followed and favorited _Falling Roses Burn Brighter_!**

 **-Zeroan**


	19. Trapped inside a maze

"It's been three days, Ozpin. You`ve had more than enough time to think about this." Qrow said, leaning on the headmaster's desk to glare at him. "We need to discuss Cinder."

Ozpin took a sip of his coffee, then laid it aside. He was slow to do so, and Qrow knew it was on purpose – he wanted to delay their discussion for as long as he could.

"There's nothing to discuss, Qrow." He said, forcing his voice to sound casual.

"Excuse me, Mister _I'm-the-wisest-man-on-Remnant,_ but I _have_ to disagree with you!" Qrow exclaimed angrily. "This is not a matter we can just push aside and pretend to forget."

"So what do you propose we do, then?" Ozpin asked, growing frustrated by his friend's insistence. "Should we tell Cinder that she's destined to become a murderous monster? Maybe we should lock her up, for _our safety_! Surely she wouldn't mind."

"Well, when you put it like that, every plan is a bad plan!"

Qrow paced around the office, tapping his fingers against his head as he tried to find a solution to their problem. Ozpin watched him quietly, waiting for him to calm down a bit.

"I understand your concern, truly I do." The headmaster said. "But I believe the wisest path is the safest, at least this time. The most probable outcome of us keeping Cinder is the dark is her being the end of this madness."

"She was a master spy, assassin, thief… She'll find out." Qrow sighed. "But… Fine. You win. I won't whisper a word of this to her. Just don't expect me to sing your praises if the school _somehow_ burns down because of it."

"I appreciate your co-operation." Ozpin smiled, then lifted his mug politely. "Coffee?"

Qrow grimaced, then left the office. Ozpin shook his head, disappointed by his friend's unjustifiable disgust of his favorite beverage.

* * *

"You know, Nora, just because you can do something, doesn't mean you _should_." Weiss said cautiously as she sat down at the cafeteria.

Nora tilted her head dubiously, making the stack of pancakes on her head fall to the side. Unfortunately, they all landed on top of Ren, who was caught by surprise and fell to the floor.

"My friends are weird." Weiss noted quietly, as if that had been the first time that thought had occurred to her.

"Hey, I take offense to that." Blake said, sitting beside her.

"You're not my friend!" The heiress smiled happily, only to become horrified as she realized what she had just said. "I mean, you're more than a friend!"

Blake shook her head, amused by how awkward her girlfriend could be sometimes, despite her rigorous social training. The faunus rolled her eyes as she felt Yang elbow her lightly on her side.

"We all know you're more than friends!" The blonde wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. "Especially after we saw those stains on our carpet-"

"Quiet!" Weiss shrieked, tossing one of Nora's pancakes at Yang's face. Then she turned to face their sister team and smiled widely. "I don't know what she's talking about."

Ruby frowned, desperately trying to connect the dots between Weiss and Blake's relationship and the stains on her team's carpet. Her face lighted up as she came to a realization, and then she looked between the two girls with a mixture of horror and fascination.

Yang took no notice of her sister's experience as she scanned the cafeteria leisurely, thinking of nothing in particular. Her eyes narrowed as she sighted Cinder gathering her meal on a tray.

It had taken Yang a little while, but after her rage died down a bit, she started to notice how strange of a state Cinder seemed to be in. Everything about her screamed power – her fiery eyes, the strength and skill she displayed at almost any task – but her behavior reflected the complete opposite of that. If Yang were to confront her right now, she doubted Cinder would protest, or even defend herself from an attack.

That didn't mean she liked her, but it did awaken a sense of sympathy for her. Maybe that was everybody else was feeling too – except Ruby, obviously. Yang groaned as she noticed her sister's blurred form near Cinder, and then hurriedly bring her to their table.

There was an awkward silence as Cinder stood beside the table, thinking on whether she should comply with Ruby and sit down too. The redhead frowned and began to poke her belly furiously, until Cinder was forced to give in, despite her best intentions.

"You shouldn't reward her for such rude behavior." Weiss noted sharply, breaking the silence.

"Hey!" Ruby protested while she chewed on her food. "I'm not rude!"

"…Something about your reply makes it sound inherently wrong." The heiress said. Ruby frowned, trying to figure out just what her partner had said exactly.

Suddenly, the moment was not so awkward anymore. Weiss continued to mystify Ruby with fancy sayings; Nora forced her whole team to play thumb-wrestling (Pyrrha won easily, to no one's surprise); and Yang began to poke Blake as the faunus tried to read a novel. Cinder ate her meal quietly, not sure if to feel welcomed or estranged.

After a few minutes, Blake raised her head, having only partially managed to block out Yang's insistent poking. She had a frown on her forehead, as if she had just remembered something very important.

"Has everyone written the composition for Port's class tomorrow?" She asked.

"Why, yes, of course I-" Weiss paused, her face slowly becoming a mask of horror and shame. "I haven't even started! Goodbye!"

The heiress raced off, as if the composition was a matter of life and death. Blake shrugged and left too, but considerably more calmly than her girlfriend. Yang, suddenly lacking a target for harassment, stood from the table and wandered off quietly.

"Who cares about compositions?!" Nora exclaimed.

"I do." Ren noted quietly.

"Nobody asked you, Ren!" Nora crossed her arms. "I will not part from this table."

Jaune and Pyrrha nodded knowingly to each other. Each grabbed one of Nora's shoulders and, resisting her violent protest, dragged her away. Ren followed contently, for once not having to be the one to deal with his partner's wackiness.

Cinder eyed Ruby curiously. The redhead seemed to have developed a sudden fascination with her fingernails.

"What about you?" The pyromancer asked.

"Me? I already wrote the composition." Ruby said quickly.

Cinder raised an eyebrow dubiously.

"Do you really expect to fool _me_ , Ruby? I was a master of deceit." She smiled lightly. "Why, I think I feel a little offended, to be honest."

"N-no, I'm not lying!" Ruby looked away frantically. "I wrote the composition this morning!"

"Really? What is it about?"

The redhead opened her mouth, but no answer came out. Frustrated, she crossed her arms and sunk on her seat.

"Go write your composition, Ruby." Cinder chuckled.

Ruby grumbled. She was accustomed to Weiss, Blake, and even Yang forcing her to do her schoolwork, but Cinder? That was just too disappointing. She realized Cinder was not as perfect as she thought (conveniently forgetting she already knew that, what with the White Fang affiliation, Beacon infiltration and hurting her feelings).

Cinder watched the redhead leave with a small smile of fondness. How Ruby managed to be such a skilled and clever warrior while neglecting her school duties was a fascinating mystery.

The pyromancer frowned as she heard the sound of something metallic hitting her table. She looked down, only to find the pointy end of her fork on the table, while she held its other melted half in her right hand. She hastily hid the damaged silverware from view, both embarrassed and disturbed about the occurrence.

Her powers had always manifested when her emotions flared, but she had trained to control them to such a fine extent long ago, that this had not been a problem for years. But now, not only did she find herself unwillingly letting off flames and melting held objects, but she also did it because of the slightest motives.

She supposed if thinking too fondly of Ruby led to melting things, then she had better stop, or the cafeteria would feel a severe lack of silverware.

Cinder frowned, feeling a familiar sensation of being watched from afar. She scanned the cafeteria silently and proved the sensation to be right. Qrow leaned against one of the corners of the room, staring at her with intense eyes, his cloak making of him almost a shadow that no one would cast a second look at.

Her eyes narrowed. How dare he spy on her, and so obviously at that? Had she not earned his trust, having not laid a finger on his niece ever since she had been welcomed back? Few things ignited her ire, but being doubted again and again for no discernible reason…She ought to teach him a lesson in humility…

The rest of the fork slid down her fingers, forming a pool of hot liquid metal on the table. Cinder stared at it, her hand shaking, vision wavering helplessly. She stood abruptly, and, ignoring the nearby students' startled looks, left the cafeteria in a hurry.

Qrow waited a moment before parting from the wall and following her, the hand that held his folded scythe hidden by the fabric of his cloak.

* * *

Yang sneaked through the upper halls of Beacon, where the staff's rooms were located. It wasn't exactly forbidden for the students to navigate that part of the school, but most of the teachers liked their privacy, and being caught there _might_ lead to mysteriously low grades.

Unfortunately, the visitor rooms were located at that same floor. After much arguing, Ozpin had convinced Raven to accept a room there. Yang had not visited her there yet, so it took her a while to find her, especially because there was nothing to identify which room belonged to her.

When she opened the door, Raven was sitting on a wooden chair while looking out a window. Yang walked in silently and stood behind her. The window gave a vast view of the Emerald Forest, in the outskirts of the school and Vale, coupled with the clear sky at afternoon.

"Wow. Kinda breathtaking, isn't it?" Yang commented.

Raven jumped from her chair and instinctively reached for her katana, which was leant on the wall. When she noticed it was her daughter who had spoken, though, she froze mid-movement. Yang took a moment to register her mother's awkward pose before laughing.

"Hey, stop it." Raven looked away, trying to hide her blushing cheeks. "I'm paranoid, okay?"

"You sure are." Yang wondered if her mother slept with her sword beside the bed too.

"What are you doing here, Yang?" The older woman asked, if only to divert the conversation away from her blunder.

"I'm visiting my mother, why!" Yang exclaimed obviously. She sat at the edge of the bed and looked at the ceiling. "And, well… I kinda wanted to talk with you about something…"

Raven looked at her for a few seconds, before smiling knowingly. She sat beside her daughter and patted her on the thigh.

"Okay, dear." She said. "I know what this is all about. You want motherly advice about boys."

"What? No!" Yang shrieked. "That's not it at all!"

"Oh." Raven did a double take. "Girls? I'm afraid I don't have a lot to impart about that matter… Well, there was that _one_ time, but there was so much alcohol and…"

She paused, noticing Yang was looking at her as if she had just broken some sort of misconceived illusion. Raven cleared her throat.

"What do you want to talk about?" She asked.

"Yeah, uhm…" Yang tapped her foot against the floor nervously. "Dad."

In an instant, Raven's welcoming demeanor was replaced by sunk shoulders and fleeing eyes.

"I see." She muttered. "What about him?"

"I was wondering…" Yang cursed herself mentally. She had run this conversation a hundred times in her head, and she had rehearsed each word she would say and how she would react depending on how her mother did. But now, she felt lost and foolish. "I-I was wondering if… If you were going to talk to him or something…?"

"Yang, I…" Raven's voice wavered. "It's been seventeen years. What do you expect will happen?"

Yang got up and bit her lower lip. Raven immediately regretted her words, seeing the glimmer of tears on her daughter's eyes.

"Yeah. I'm sorry." Yang said. "Forget about it."

Before Raven could do anything, the blonde had turned and left the door, slamming the door behind her.

Raven got up and picked up her sword, holding it as if it could somehow bring her comfort.

It didn't.

* * *

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

Breathe in…

Cinder's fingers curled into a fist as the temperature of her room grew even higher. No matter how hard she concentrated, how calm she tried to remain, her power kept manifesting. At this rate, she would be sleeping in what was practically an oven.

She wished there was something for her to discharge her fury on. Sure, that wouldn't _actually_ help her, at least not physically, but it would certainly help emotionally. Or so she hoped. If it went like everything else in her recent life, it would probably just worsen her condition.

Was this the power Mira held at her control? Cinder had always seen herself as a power to be reckoned with, and everyone she came across certainly felt the same, but Mira seemed to be five steps above her… and yet, her supposed mother hadn't showed any sign of struggling with her power.

Mother. It stung to even think of the word. A mother was supposed to be a figure of warmth, of home and happiness, not some possessive stranger who haunted your night and day. She had been immensely happier not knowing who her mother was.

Moreover, if Mira was her mother, who the hell was her father? While at first thought it was hard to conceive that a man would be foolish enough to have a child with someone such as Mira, Cinder was not so naïve as to hold that mentality for long. People are crazy when it comes to love – and wasn't she the poster child of that phrase?

There was a knock on her door, which she pretended to not hear. Cinder restarted her meditation, only to be distracted by another knock. And another, and another, the interval between each one becoming increasingly shorter.

Finally, whoever it was gave up on knocking and the door flew open. Ruby stepped inside, glaring angrily at her.

"Hey!" Cinder protested half-jokingly. "Weren't you taught to knock on someone's door before entering?"

She had never seen Ruby wear such a sour expression.

"What are you doing sitting on the ground?" The redhead asked, inspecting the pyromancer as if she were a weird aberration.

"Meditating." Cinder sighed. "Or trying to…"

And just like that, Ruby was sitting in front of her with a helpful look on her face. Cinder smiled lightly, once more impressed by her ex-girlfriend's admirable nature.

"Can I help?"

"Well, meditating is something you do _alone_ …" Cinder said slowly. She didn't want to disappoint Ruby. "But… I suppose we can do something else."

"Like talking! Talking is cool and nice and helpful!" Ruby suggested cheerfully. "So, why are you meditating?"

"I was meditating to try to get a better hold of my power. It hasn't worked, as I'm sure you've already noticed."

Ruby nodded, swiping a bit of sweat off her forehead.

"What's so different from before, anyway?" She asked. "You didn't use to cook things up with a look when I first met you."

Cinder blinked, momentarily distracted by the thought of cooking herself dinner with her power.

"I think Mira changed me, somehow." She said. "Maybe she overloaded me with her own fire. I feel like I'm going to burst."

"Ouch. Sounds painful." Ruby stated.

"Not at all, actually! It feels… Amazing." Cinder looked at her palms hauntingly. "I can't describe it well enough. Whatever I could do before, it's been turned up to eleven. And when I use it…" She paused, not wanting to make the conversation awkward. "It's good. But I have barely any control anymore. I'm setting fire on wood, making my room unbearably hot at night… Melting my forks…"

Ruby smiled and patted her comfortingly on the shoulder.

"It takes time to become skilled at something. I'm sure you'll be able to kick Mira's butt in no time!"

"Hmm." Cinder looked away bitterly. "Not probable."

Ruby was silent for a moment, as if were divining what Cinder was thinking. The pyromancer shrunk, feeling as if her very soul was being inspected.

"You're pretty upset about your mother, right?" Ruby asked.

"…She's not my mother." Cinder muttered. "She's a monster who assaulted me and made me… Made me feel like _this_."

"Hey. It's not your fault she defeated you. I mean, even my uncle Qrow had to run away from her, and that was fifteen years ago, when he wasn't an old man!" Ruby said. "Next time, you'll be prepared, and you'll defeat her."

Cinder nodded. Even if she didn't believe, it felt good to pretend Ruby was right. It took a heavy weight out of her shoulders.

"I never really knew my mother too well, you know?" Ruby said suddenly. "She died when I was a kid. She was an awesome Huntress, even better than my uncle. But… I guess even she wasn't strong enough, in the end. She left me."

"Oh." Cinder didn't know what to say. She had had no clue Ruby was motherless… And that made her feel angry at herself. How could Cinder not know such a thing? Her job at Beacon had been to learn everything about its students, and… And how could she not know about something so important to Ruby, of all people?

"I'm not really sad, though. I miss her. She was so cool, what with the baking of cookies and slaying of monsters, but… She's gone, now, and that's it. Gotta move on." Ruby shrugged. "What use is there to holding on to the past, right?"

Cinder looked at her, amber eyes shimmering like fire as she took in those simple, yet powerful words. She still didn't understand why she felt so strongly for Ruby, but it was moments like these that made her not bother herself with questions – she just needed to feel.

Without thinking, Cinder leaned forward and captured Ruby's lips with her own. The redhead tried to mumble something – a protest, probably – but it was a half-hearted attempt, and she didn't raise any real resistance.

The pyromancer would have screamed with happiness if her mouth wasn't already occupied. She had missed this even more than she had thought – to be connected to someone, to Ruby, to feel the heat and connection between them as if it were a living thing…

Cinder's right hand flew to Ruby's neck, gently caressing its side, while her other went to the redhead's back. The kiss grew hungrier, greedier, so much that Cinder's mind was void of any thought, just living the moment as it was, with no fear or-

And then Ruby rose to her feet with a hiss, holding the side of her neck, a painful grimace on her face. Cinder stared at her, furious about having their little session interrupted – until she took full notice of the situation.

"Oh. Oh no. No, no, no, no…" She jumped to her feet. "Ruby, are you – Are you okay? Did I-"

"No!" Ruby edged away. "I'm fine! I-it's nothing, I'm just nervous!"

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean-"

"I'm fine!"

Ruby turned and ran away, leaving a trail of rose petals behind her.

Cinder cursed and punched a wall, leaving a scorched mark on it. Her eyes were two pools of fiery light, her voice a booming roar as she unleashed her fury on everything she set her eyes upon.

* * *

"Hey, Blaaake…"

The faunus' ears shifted slightly as her girlfriend crouched beside her bed. Blake gave her a cautious look as she set her book aside.

"You know, I really enjoyed when I could read in peace for more than five minutes straight." She said.

"Well, if you're unhappy about our relationship, then…" Weiss crossed her arms indignantly.

"No, no. I'm sorry. That was just a very good book you interrupted." Blake explained apologetically. "Ah, _The Clever Boy's Dread_ …"

"That's _great_! Do you want to know why, Miss Belladonna?"

Blake raised an eyebrow slowly. Weiss smiled widely, then suddenly produced a book from beneath her.

"Ta-dah!" The heiress sang. " _The Queenslayer Chronicles, Day 3: The Stairs of Rock!_ "

"What!" Blake snatched the book, totally flabbergasted. "But this isn't even out yet! How did you manage to buy it?"

"Why, the Schnees know a lot of people, including renowned authors such as Patrick Fothruss." Weiss said proudly. "Am I the best girlfriend ever?"

"Yeeees!"

Blake tackled her to the floor and started to plant kisses on her neck. Weiss would have been happy to let her continue, but Yang was in the room too, and she had already witnessed enough.

"No! Stop it!" Weiss giggled, forcibly pushing Blake away. "That's enough! We've already given _her_ enough ammunition for a month!"

Blake nodded bitterly, then looked up at her partner's bed. Yang was unusually quiet, which was always a big worry.

"Yang?" She called. "Aren't you going to make a comment about our obvious display of love and sexuality?"

"Huh?" The blonde looked down at them. "Oh. Uhm… Damn, ladies, can I join ya…?"

"…That was weak." Weiss stated. "I almost feel pity for her."

Blake made to jump to her partner's bed to talk to her, but before she could, there was a knock on their door. Weiss went to open it, revealing Raven standing on the hallway.

"Hello." The heiress said.

"Weiss." Raven greeted shortly. "Can you get Yang and Ruby for me?"

"Xiao Long, get over here!" Weiss shrieked, then turned to face Raven again as if nothing had happened. "Ruby is probably harassing Cinder right now."

"Ah, I see." If Raven thought anything of the matter, she didn't let it show.

Yang followed her mother into the hallway and closed the door behind them. She looked at Raven with a mixture of anger and sorrow.

"Why are you here?" She asked.

"I'm sorry about how I handled our conversation before. I wasn't prepared to discuss your father." Raven said. "But… I thought a lot about it. Even if it's been seventeen years, even if he had Summer, and Ruby… I think he should know I'm alive and with you."

"Yes, he should." Yang agreed, her tone becoming much lighter. "So, do you want me to call him?"

"Oh, there's no need." Raven smiled triumphantly. "I already did. He'll be here as soon as he's able."

Yang shouted happily and hugged her. Raven was nervous - meeting her lost love after so many years, explaining to him who she had become and what she had gone through would not be an easy task. She expected a lot of shouting and tears. But if she was already being rewarded this way by her daughter, it was all worth it.

At that moment, Ruby appeared, suspiciously wearing a red scarf around her neck. She looked at Yang and Raven confusedly, then raised her hands in a silent question.

"Dad's coming here." Yang explained, parting from her mother's embrace. "It's going to be a shitstorm."

"A _what_ now?" Raven glared at her disapprovingly.

"A mess, mother. An absolute mess." The blonde corrected sheepishly.

Raven neared Ruby so that she stood between her and Yang, then patted her on the shoulder.

"I hope that's okay with you." She said. "Taiyang is your father too, after all."

"Oh, I don't have-" Ruby paused. Raven had brought her scarf down for a brief moment to discover the burn mark on the side of her neck, then brought it back up. "I-I have no problem with that."

"That's good." Raven smiled, as if nothing had happened. "I care about you too. You are a daughter to me, just as Yang was to Summer, so I'll always be looking out for you."

Ruby nodded, even as a deep fear for Cinder settled on her stomach. Raven ruffled her hair, then walked away without another word.

"I can't wait to see what's going to happen." Yang frowned. "I hope dad takes this well. A lot's been happening around here…"

"Yep." Ruby gulped.

"How am I gonna explain to him you were dating a psychopath?" Her sister chuckled.

She opened the door to their room and made to enter it, but immediately returned and shook her head.

"What's wrong?" Ruby asked confusedly.

"Weiss and Blake, they're, uhm… They're reading a book together. We shouldn't interrupt them." Yang improvised.

"Reading a book? We can just be silent." The redhead shrugged.

"That's not enough! Weiss is reading out loud to Blake, and she'd be pretty embarrassed if we were listening too."

Ruby crossed her arms and glared at her sister accusatorily.

"Yang, are they making out?"

"…Kinda." Yang replied. Suddenly, she opened the door to Juniper's room and shoved Ruby inside. "I don't want you getting any tips from them!"

"But-" Ruby's protest was cut short as she was dragged away by a singing Nora.

Yang smiled wickedly, then planted her ear on her team's door.

"Now, let's see how much ammunition I can gather here…"

* * *

Mira clucked her tongue as she flipped over another one of her subordinates with her foot. He was as dead as the other ones, and with the same fatal injury – a clean stab wound through the chest.

Adam stood at her side in the storeroom-turned-hideout. He glanced at the bodies silently, as if he knew everything there was to know about the situation.

"This isn't an important base at all, Mira." He said. "Barely anyone knows about it, even inside the organization. So this is a message. The killer knows us well. Too well, I'd say."

"Why, yes. Of course." Mira looked at him as if he were an adorable baby. "It was Raven Branwen. It's rather obvious, dear. The clean sword wounds, purposefully dealt so as to inflict as less pain as possible…"

"Yes, I suppose you're right." Adam's annoyance was evident in his voice. "I was getting to that. We've been getting reports from at least a half dozen bases, warning us about a pair who called themselves _the Branwens_. Supposedly, they are beating goons up, demanding to know where my base of operations is located."

"A pair?" Mira nodded. "That is most certainly interesting."

Adam smiled slightly. Going on the field with Mira was always a risky occasion – if she left unsatisfied, her companion was most likely going to be burned alive. When she was pleased, however…

"Dear, can you be less obvious? We're still out in the open." Mira chuckled. "You know, I grow tired of this game."

"This game…?" Adam asked cautiously.

"This chasing of little rebellious daughters; allowing traitors to roam free killing our men. I believe it's time to make a real move."

"It will take time." The faunus noted. "Cinder has certainly revealed all our previous plans to Ozpin and his colleagues. We'll need new ones."

"That won't be a problem…"

Mira crouched down and touched one of the corpses. Fire lighted on her fingers, spreading over the dead man and turning him to ashes in a matter of seconds.

"I have an _excellent_ plan in mind already…" She moved to the next corpse and did the same. "It will deal with every issue we've been facing lately. My daughter; Raven Branwen; your precious runaway protégé… Tell me, Adam, how do you win a game of chess?"

"You trap their king." Adam replied easily.

"That's the endgame. But before that…" She burned the last two corpses, then rose to her feet, a glimmering fire on her eyes. "You take their queen."

* * *

 **Well, as long as they don't hurt Zwei, I guess everything's fine. (I certainly would never target the dog)  
**

 **A virtual cookie to everyone who understood the least-subtle-reference to a particular series of book this chapter. Yes, that was an actual reference. It was pretty stupid.**

 **[Sea diary; Day 3**

 **The S. S. Iceberg sunk easily, almost as if it was destined to do so all along.**

 **I grow wary of the chapter titles' anonymity. Their meaning is in jeopardy.**

 **My men have spotted a glorious ship on the horizon. We cannot yet read its name. I hope they won't open fire on us; they surely have many much powerful firepower than us.**

 **Zeroan, proud captain of the S. S. Falling Petals.]**

 **Singing-Nora-sized thanks to everyone who reviewed, followed and favorited _Falling Roses Burn Brighter_!**

 **-Zeroan**


	20. Sow the death

Learning to master your thoughts and fend off mental attacks proved to be a harder process than Weiss had imagined. She had thought it wouldn't be much different than what she had been taught as a child – how to conceal your emotions behind a polite smile, how to judge a person's speech even as you agreed with them vocally… It was a matter of self-control.

Her current training was more like hanging onto a rope at the edge of a cliff while a terrible storm occurred all around her. Her babbling teacher also did not help much.

"Keep your thoughts clear!" Qrow repeated for the fifth time since their session had started. The tone of his voice suggested he was feeling ecstatic about his current position of superior experience and wisdom. "Don't let them wander!"

"I _know_ ," Weiss opened her eyes to glare at him furiously. "They wouldn't wander _anywhere_ if you stopped with your meaningless ranting!"

"Sorry, princess," he smiled charmingly. "I can't help it. My voice is just so smooth."

"Why, that's…" The heiress bit her tongue, saving herself from the terrible fate of saying _true_. "Irrelevant. I need a quiet environment to focus."

Qrow raised an eyebrow slowly, then gestured with his hands to his sides. The two were sitting cross-legged on the school campus, surrounded by dozens of loud students.

" _You_ suggested this location!" Weiss pointed out. "You're as annoying as your nieces."

"Thank you, I take pride in that statement," he said. "Keep your thoughts clear!"

The heiress fumed on the inside, but closed her eyes nonetheless. His choice of location wasn't unjustifiable, since her mind was likely to be attacked in the middle of combat, which was not the quietest of situations. It was wise to learn to focus on an equally loud – or louder – environment.

Just as she began to empty her mind, however, she felt a sudden agony on the back of her head, as if someone was trying to drill directly into her skull. She fell on her back, dazed, eyes still closed, and then she saw _something_.

The dark interior of a factory. Five people waiting in silence, leaning against the wall or polishing their weapons. A tall dark-haired woman with amber eyes standing in front of three kneeling children bound with ropes by their wrists. A living flame danced around her right hand.

"Southeast sector, six-one-six. You have three hours," she smiled deviously. "Make sure to bring my daughter along."

And then Weiss opened her eyes, gasping loudly, and she was back at Beacon. Qrow kneeled beside her, shaking her by her shoulders, while a number of students gathered in a circle around them.

"Weiss," he called worriedly. "Are you okay?"

"Y-yes," she took a deep breath to calm herself down. It only worked slightly. "That was _him_. He attacked me _again_."

"It's okay. He got to me too, thought I recovered quicker." Even when comforting someone, Qrow couldn't help but boast a little.

"Where is he?!" Weiss jumped to her feet and drew her rapier.

"Long gone, I imagine," the experienced Huntsman said. "We have more important things to worry about."

Weiss looked back at him, realizing he had had the same vision as her.

"We need to see Ozpin," he said. "Gather everyone while I talk to him."

The heiress nodded, then walked away, forcing the crowd to part before her. She never sheathed her rapier, and the hand that held it was shaking with ire.

* * *

Cinder woke up abruptly to the sound of someone knocking on her door. Immediately, she rose and ran to open it, smiling without meaning too.

"Ruby-" She paused, realizing she was facing Weiss and Blake. Her smile crumbled, just as she took a step back. "Hello."

"Hello," Weiss surely had something to say about the awkward situation, but she held her words. "We need to go to Ozpin's office. It's urgent."

Without waiting for a response, the heiress trotted off, clearly bothered by something internal. Cinder looked to Blake for an explanation.

"It involves your mother." The faunus said shortly, then followed her girlfriend.

Cinder paused for a moment, then went after them. Though Weiss didn't pay any attention to her, Blake did look back at her, as if trying to discover some invisible secret.

"Ruby hasn't visited you once this week," she said casually. "What's up with that?"

"Nothing. She has more important things to worry about than me," Cinder replied. Even she had to admit the lie sounded obvious. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Neither does she, apparently." Blake noted sharply, then looked ahead of her again.

The statement caught Cinder off-guard. She knew Blake was far from the sweetest person, yet she had showed nothing but support for her the past months. But Cinder should have known better where Blake's loyalties rested – if a terrible split put Cinder and Ruby on differing sides, she knew whose side the faunus would be on.

The pyromancer shook her head slightly, wishing to forget about the possibility. This was not the first time it had occurred to her, and every day that passed, she couldn't help but feel that it became more realistic.

Meanwhile, Weiss seemed to be dealing with thoughts that were much more real than Cinder's tragic fabrications. The heiress was gripping her rapier tightly, as if expecting to be attacked at any time. Her eyes held nothing of their usual confidence and coolness – they were almost wild in their nature. Cinder sympathized deeply, realizing she herself had been wearing that look for weeks now.

"Weiss?" She called softly. "Are you alright? What happened?"

"It's none of your business!" The heiress shouted at her. "How about you worry about yourself first?!"

"I'm just trying to help."

"I don't care!"

Blake went to lay a hand on her girlfriend's shoulder, but Weiss shook it off and spun to face Cinder. The pyromancer gasped, having to back away from the tip of Myrtenaster, which hovered just beneath her chin.

"You know, everything was much easier _before_ you stepped into our lives!" Weiss exclaimed. "All you've done is hurt Ruby, put Blake in harm's way, and cause your _mother_ to attack us!"

"Weiss." Blake said, trying to wake the heiress from her enraged state.

"No! I'm tired of holding back!"

Weiss sheathed her rapier, much to their confusion. She then walked closer to Cinder and stared up at her face, her blue eyes transmitting all the rage she was feeling.

"I'm _tired_ of us having to suffer just because Ozpin feels like you deserve a second chance." She said. "I entered a burning building to rescue you, and all I got in return was your _gratitude_ and having my mind violated. You can turn to ash, for all I care."

Before Cinder could come up with a response, Weiss turned and walked away. The pyromancer looked at Blake, but only found a face void of emotion. She might not be repeating her girlfriend's words, but Blake surely felt the same way she did.

The faunus didn't linger too long before walking away too. Cinder followed quietly, eyes fixed on her feet and fire dancing sorrowfully around her fingers.

* * *

A half hour after Weiss and Qrow's vision, everyone was gathered in Ozpin's office. Raven was informed by Ruby and Yang, and she didn't seem happy about the sudden reunion. She was experienced enough to know nothing good was going to come of it.

Ruby had taken to wearing her alternate outfit's scarf, which her team had found weird in the beginning. Once she claimed to have been wanting to change her appearance for a while, Yang had rolled her eyes and chalked it up to her growing up. For once, Ruby wasn't frustrated by her sister's joking about her age.

Cinder was too shaken from Weiss's earlier speech to try to communicate with Ruby. In turn, the redhead only gave her one brief glance when she entered the room, then returned to staring at anything else in the room but her. Cinder's mood got even worse when she realized Ruby wasn't doing so out of childish nervousness – she truly didn't want to have anything to do with her.

"Now that everyone's here," Ozpin said suddenly, drawing everyone's attention at once. "I'll make this brief. Half an hour ago, Mira's psychic underling attacked Qrow and Miss Schnee. Both of them had the same vision: a warning."

" _Southeast sector, six-one-six. You have three hours,_ " Qrow said. "That's where she's holding three children hostage. Six-one-six follows the pattern for the identification of industrial buildings and such in Vale."

"She wants a confrontation," Ozpin explained. "And that's what we are going to give her."

There was a brief moment of murmuring in the room as everyone came to their own conclusions about the headmaster's response. Cinder stayed quiet, her eyes returning to their usual fiery liveliness. A chance to face her mother once again, this time prepared and more powerful? That's exactly what she wanted.

"So, what part of your plan guarantees that she won't ambush us with all of the White Fang and kill us?" Yang asked in a deceptively cheerful tone of voice.

"Because this is personal to her." Qrow said simply.

"How?" The blonde crossed her arms stubbornly.

"She also said, _make sure to bring my daughter along_ ," Weiss spoke up bitterly. "Obviously she doesn't want to kill her outright."

"Good." Cinder said calmly. "That will make it much easier for me to kill her."

The room was taken by silence as everyone stared at her. A range of emotions came from the young team RWBY – horror and disdain, mostly. Raven, however, seemed much more understanding of her statement.

But to Cinder's surprise, the strongest reaction came from Ozpin, who forcibly put his mug of coffee down on his desk and glared at her.

"No," he said. "You're to stay right here with me."

"What?!" She exclaimed furiously. "Are you out of your mind? I'm the only one who can defeat her! She can't hurt me!"

"Yes, she can," Qrow noted. "She just doesn't want to."

"And we should take advantage of that!" Cinder said. "You can't forbid me from going. I'm not one your students. You have no right-"

"I have _every_ right!" Ozpin shouted. "Or do you want to go back to a cage? This time, one you can't melt a hole through?"

The pyromancer stood still, fists clenched with fires ignited around them. She could have blasted the headmaster off a window at that moment, and he wouldn't be able to do anything. And to hell with anyone who tried to take her down afterwards.

But she felt the weight of everyone's stares – one especially – and faltered. Her flames extinguished, and she just looked at the floor in defeat.

"Why?" She asked quietly.

"I will tell you my reasons afterwards," Ozpin said, then looked at everyone else. "Go! There are lives on the line!"

And so everybody ran to the door, passing beside Cinder as she leant against a wall. Ruby paused briefly to pull on her arm. Cinder looked at her silently.

"Do you really want to kill your mother?" The redhead asked.

"Yes," Cinder replied. "Yes, I do."

Ruby's face betrayed no emotion as she walked away, but her steps rang rather heavily for someone her weight.

Cinder looked at Ozpin, who went to close the door to the office without saying a word.

"So," she said bitterly. "Tell me why."

He looked at her with dread, then gestured to his desk.

"You might want to take a seat."

* * *

It took the group another hour to reach their destination, an abandoned factory at the southeast corner of Vale. There was no one on watch, and neither was there anything particularly ominous about the place, but they were all dreading stepping inside.

"So, let's think," Qrow said. "There were five people in our vision, not taking Mira into account. I suspect they are her closest henchmen."

"Adam Taurus," Blake noted. "I'll take care of him."

"Another must be the psychic." Weiss assumed, already unsheathing her rapier.

Yang poked Ruby on her shoulder.

"Mercury and Emerald. We got dibs on them, sis?" She suggested.

"Yeah!" The redhead agreed.

"No. Ruby will take the children out of harm's way," Qrow said. "That's four bad guys. Who's the fifth? Neopolitan or Torchwick?"

"No. They weren't tall or little enough to be either of them." Weiss shook her head.

"Then it's the silver-haired boy," Raven said. "The one whose brother I killed last time… I'll take him."

A shiver ran down Yang's spine as she wondered if her mother meant to reunite the brothers or just defeat her opponent.

"I guess I'll have my payback for seventeen years ago, then," Qrow said. "Mira is gonna _fall_."

"…You did _not_ just say that." Raven sighed, just as her daughter squealed joyfully.

"Someone had to, eventually."

* * *

Ozpin took his time as he prepared his coffee and gathered some files, all the while ignoring the smoldering glares Cinder kept throwing at him. After ten minutes, he resolved that it was best to finally talk, or else his office would become a gigantic bonfire.

"Have you wondered, in these past weeks, why Mira would have abandoned you as a baby?" Ozpin asked as he sat down. "You have so much power. To a woman like her, you would be an incredible asset."

"No. I'm just glad she did," Cinder replied. "What I wonder is why she is back now."

"I know the answer," he took a sip of his coffee. "She is not your mother."

A wave of emotions struck Cinder at that moment – relief, confusion, happiness. But then she looked at Ozpin and, realizing he hadn't finished yet, her positive feelings all turned to dread.

"Not biologically, at least," he said. "Mira is the result of a lineage that runs back uncountable generations, something so ancient, it is treated like a legend to the few common folk who know of it."

"A lineage?" Cinder repeated.

"The Fall lineage. They are not connected by blood, but by power," Ozpin explained. "The power of fire, such as yours. As far as we know, only women wield this power. However, they are infertile."

He paused for a moment, as if expecting a reaction from her. Cinder said nothing. The thought of having children rarely occurred to her, especially in recent times. She wasn't saddened by the revelation, at least not yet.

"Because of this, they devised a… ritual, of sorts," Ozpin slowed down, as if he were reaching a particularly harrowing part of his explanation. "Once in their lifetime, the Fall woman – as there can be only one at a time – chooses a young girl. A baby, most of the time. She…" he sighed. "She steals the baby and, once it is sufficiently grown, burns a mark on their upper back."

Cinder resisted the urge to reach for her mark.

"The mark gives the girl the power of fire. As she grows, so does the power," Ozpin said. "It also heavily affects the girl's mind, shaping her emotions and thoughts. It turns them towards very… violent ways."

"I… see," Cinder could barely think of something to say. "And… Is she always abandoned?"

"Always," he nodded. "I don't know why."

"And… You said there can only be one Fall at a time?" She frowned. "But there's two right now, Mira and I."

"The _mother_ always vanishes, it seems," Ozpin said. "I suspect there is some logical explanation to that, but, as I said, what I tell you was passed on as legend. Some facts must have been lost by time."

The two stayed in silence for a long while, Cinder slumped on her chair, dead eyes looking at nothing in particular, while Ozpin stared at her emotionlessly.

"I've been trying so hard." She whispered.

"I know." He said sorrowfully.

"I really tried," she repeated, then looked up at him. "I don't want to be a monster, Ozpin."

He got up and walked around his desk, then sat at a chair beside her.

"You don't have to be one," he said. "We're taking down Mira right now. Once she's defeated, you won't have to ever see her again. You don't have to pass the lineage onward. You can be happy however you want to be. All you have to do… is keep trying."

* * *

When they entered the factory, everything was dark, except for a single light at the center of the building. Mira was sitting on a wooden chair, one leg over the other, while she passed a multicolored flame from one hand to another.

"Ah. You have arrived," she declared with sly satisfaction. "I was afraid I'd have to burn these children. Then again, they might taste rather well when cooked at the appropriate temperature."

"What the fuck!" Yang exclaimed in disgust.

"I only jest, dear," Mira chuckled. "Even I have standards. I don't _eat_ burnt children."

She clapped, and the lights in the ceiling turned on. Just behind Mira were the three children, their wrists tied in ropes and mouths muffled with duct tape.

At her side was Adam Taurus, who smiled widely and drew his katana, then began to walk in Blake's direction, as if knowing her intentions already. She glared at him, but responded to the challenge by drawing her own sword. The two blades clashed, giving a beginning to the battle.

Qrow's scythe unfolded as he ran to Mira, who smiled wickedly and materialized a sword to block his overhead attack.

"I remember you," she said. "Didn't you learn you lesson seventeen years ago? You ran away like a child who burned his finger on a candle."

"Miss, I am not a child," he spun his scythe, nearly striking her on the side of her head. She blocked with her sword, then glared at him furiously. "And to me, you are _less_ than a candle."

Ruby passed by them undetected, reaching the bound children and cutting the rope on their wrists. Putting a finger over her lips so they would understand to be silent, she removed the tape from their mouths, then gestured for them to follow as she headed for the exit.

Meanwhile, Yang was busy fending off Mercury and Emerald's combined attacks. Their movements weren't perfectly synced, but they still good enough to keep her from making an offensive of her own. At least she had her Semblance to protect her from serious injury.

She was surprised when, suddenly, Raven appeared by her side and swung her katana, forcing the thieving pair to back away.

"Where's Silver?!" Yang exclaimed.

"Who?" Raven asked confusedly.

"The silver-haired brother."

"Ah. He's… somewhere, not lying on a puddle of blood."

Yang decided to not press the matter, seeing as they had two foes to take down at the moment. She did pause briefly to look at Weiss, who was just standing in the middle of the factory, eyes closed in concentration.

"Oi! Ice Queen!" The blonde yelled. "Wake up!"

The heiress's concentration was broken momentarily as she mumbled under her breath.

"I hate your family."

* * *

 _"How can you say such a thing to your own sister?!"_

 _Weiss lowered her head shamefully as Winter gripped her by the elbow, staring at her furiously._

 _"We have done nothing but bless you with everything you ever wanted!" The older sister continued. "For once in your life, be grateful!"_

 _"I'm…" Weiss felt a tear run down her face. "I'm sorry."_

 _"You'd better be! You can throw all the tantrums you want, father will not allow you to be a Huntress!" Winter spat. "You won't leave me to deal with this alone, understood? You_ won't _."_

 _Weiss looked up with a smile on her face. Winter stilled, as if she didn't know how to react. Then, the younger girl drew her rapier and stabbed the older through the stomach._

 _Winter stumbled back as blood stained her white clothing. Weiss put a hand on her hip and looked to the side, where a little bald man glared at her bitterly._

 _"I_ surely _don't remember this ever happening," She said. "Do you have any childhood traumas I can torment you with, or should we go back to the real world where I can do to_ you _what I did to_ her? _"_

* * *

Weiss opened her eyes and dashed to the northwest corner of the factory, where she found the psychic with his arms crossed, almost childishly so.

"Hello," she said. "Meet Myrtenaster."

She bashed him in the forehead with the hilt of her rapier, knocking him unconscious. He fell to the ground harmlessly, much to her content.

She turned around to look at Blake, who was still locked in her duel with Adam. The heiress took a step forward, intending to help, but then paused. That was something Blake needed to do alone.

As the two faunus traded blows, Blake couldn't help but grow frustrated by Adam's perpetual smile. He had never been too serious in his nature, but this was too much – almost unnaturally so.

"What are you grinning about?!" She asked finally as she deflected a slash and took a step back.

"It's good to see you, Blake," he said simply. "And it's a big day for both of us."

"How so?" She held her sword and scabbard in front of her, expecting his speech to be a front for some kind of trick.

"Today I take you back to the White Fang, and you'll be glad for it."

He swung his katana to hit her head, expecting her to block, but she vanished in shadows and reappeared behind him. She kicked him, knocking him to the ground, then held him there with a foot. He had vastly underestimated how stronger and more skilled she had become during their time apart.

"Why would I be glad?" She asked.

"Because… you're lost. Do you truly believe Beacon is the place for you?" He shook his head. "How many faunus study there? A dozen? Compared to hundreds of humans. When they learn to fight, do they picture their foes as Grimm, or as White Fang?" He chuckled. "Damn, Blake, you are even teammates with a Schnee."

"Wait… Are you serious? You don't _know_?"

Adam frowned confusedly. Then, something _definitely_ unnatural happened – Blake began to laugh in the middle of combat.

"Weiss Schnee is my girlfriend." She said, wiping a tear off her eye.

"What?!" He struggled a bit against her hold, then just grunted in defeat. "After that, I give up."

* * *

Ruby ran three blocks before deciding that it was far enough to let the children go. She desperately wanted to take them directly to a safe haven, but her friends needed help immediately, so she pointed them towards a good direction and turned back.

When she arrived at the factory, she was surprised to find Torchwick and Neo standing at the entrance. The crime lord swung his cane in a circle and smiled at her.

"Hey, Red!" He greeted. "No time no see!"

"Hi?" She responded hesitantly. "Can I pass, please?"

"Well, since you asked nicely…" He pointed the end of the cane at her. "No."

She slammed her scythe at the ground vertically, then stepped on it and fired, propelling herself up in the air and avoiding the blast from the cane. Torchwick watched her soar through the air with a sour expression on his face.

"They all fly around nowadays," he mumbled. "Neo, can you fly around too?"

The mute shrugged, then shook her hand as if saying _kinda_.

Ruby pointed her scythe upward and shot again, falling quickly towards the pair of villains. Neo danced away, but Torchwick was not so fortunate and was knocked against the wall of the factory.

"Hiya!" Ruby yelled, then pointed her weapon at Neo. "Want a piece of me?!"

Neo examined the weapon curiously, then gestured to Torchwick apologetically. _I don't want any of that._

Ruby nodded satisfactorily and raced inside the factory. Yang and Raven were in a winning battle against Mercury and Emerald, while Blake was holding down Adam with a foot. At the very back, Qrow was fighting Mira, with Weiss providing support where she could.

The redhead decided that last battle was where she was needed the most, and so she appeared in a blur beside her uncle and shot a round towards Mira. The pyromancer spun in place, conjuring a wall of flames around her that nullified the projectile, then stood still, a smile on her face.

"Ah, finally," she said. "The queen returns."

Qrow frowned confusedly, then went to strike her. Mira's smile grew, and she evaded by side-stepping, displaying an amount of time disproportionally big compared to her previous showings.

"Step aside." She said, then struck him with an open palm on the side of his left arm.

Qrow screamed painfully and fell to his knees. The sound of his scythe hitting the ground rang loudly through the factory. His sleeve burned, revealing a charred piece of skin where he had been struck.

"You…!" Ruby searched for a word to scream at her, but she was too shocked by the monstrous display.

"Me, indeed," Mira chuckled. "Do you like flowers, Ruby Rose?"

The redhead blinked confusedly. Suddenly she stumbled forward, Mira appearing by her side gripping her arm. The pyromancer spun her around to face the other fighters, then held a hand below her throat, where a small blade of fire formed.

"Everyone!" She shouted victoriously. "Let go of my people, and this little rose will not be harmed."

Weiss, being the closest, took a step forward while raising her rapier.

"No, no," Mira clucked her tongue. "I wouldn't take another step if I were you. Flowers are beautiful, but they burn oh so easily, don't they?"

The heiress gritted her teeth and stopped. No words could describe the despair she felt when she locked eyes with Ruby.

Blake lifted her foot quickly, letting go of her hold on Adam. The masked man stood and ruffled her hair, then went to stand beside Mira.

"Good. Everyone, follow Belladonna's example," Mira commanded. "And, Adam, would you care to pick Brain up from where he's fallen?"

Adam nodded, then retrieved the psychic from the corner of the factory.

Raven had to hold Yang back as Mercury and Emerald walked away.

"She's got Ruby," the blonde whispered desperately, tears forming on her eyes. "Mom, please, let go, she's got Ruby, she's got Ruby…"

"Calm down, Yang. Ruby's going to be okay," Raven gripped her daughter by the shoulders and dragged her farther away from Mira. "Do everything she says, dear."

Yang only struggled harder, so much that Raven had to spin her around and begin to force her even further away. As she did, she gained sight of what had previously been behind her – a lurking silver-haired boy raising a sword parallel to the ground.

"Yang-" She exclaimed, then tackled her daughter to the side.

The boy's stab connected with her instead, piercing her beside the stomach and poking out her lower back. Silver smiled and brought his sword back, allowing her to fall to the ground, bleeding.

" _YOU!_ " Yang's rage exploded around her, hair shining and eyes turning red.

She raised her fist, intending to punch Silver's head right off his neck, but suddenly there was a hand around her left shin. Yang looked down and saw Raven shaking her head slowly.

" _Argie_ ," Mira called. "Good work, but that was not part of the plan. Get back here."

The boy glared at Yang, as if to prove a point, then marched to Mira's side.

"Is that all...?" Mira examined the crowd playfully. "I believe so. It was a _pleasure_ to meet you."

Qrow's eyes widened as she took a step back, still dragging Ruby along with the flames at her throat. The redhead looked at her uncle desperately, then flicked her eyes sharply to where her scythe had fallen on the floor.

Qrow didn't take the hint, but Weiss did. She dashed to the weapon and kicked it with all her force, sending it flying towards her partner. Ruby raised a hand to catch it, but it was intercepted by Adam.

"You took a step." Mira noted.

Weiss's blood ran cold as she shook her head slowly.

"Please, don't," she begged. "It was my mistake. Kill me instead."

" _Kill_?" Mira repeated. "Tempting as it is, that's not what I have in mind for little Ruby."

Mira kept walking backwards, until she reached a hidden door at the back of the factory. Adam opened it for her, but she took a moment before stepping outside.

"Ah, I almost forgot," she said loudly. "Tell my daughter we have a room prepared for her, for when she's ready."

And then she exited, followed by her henchmen, and the door closed behind them.

Yang was torn between the need to run after her sister and stay with her mother, and so she collapsed to her knees, weeping. Blake threw her sword and scabbard on the ground and started to curse out loud, completely losing her cool.

Weiss walked back to Qrow, and with a dead tone of voice, asked him:

"What do we do?"

"There's nothing we can do," he muttered somberly, staring fixedly at the floor. "Ruby's gone."

* * *

It took an hour for Cinder to even begin to come to terms with Ozpin's revelation about her. Suddenly, everything in her life made a lot more sense – where her powers came from; why she had taken such a dark path in life; why it was so difficult to fight her own feelings...

For years, she had lied to herself, thinking she knew everything about herself. She would steal, trick, murder, because _that's who she was_. And when she finally realized that lie, she had felt lost.

But now… Now, it wasn't a lie. She knew who she was. Cinder Fall, orphan, mistress of fire, destined to become a monster.

Most importantly, she knew who she wanted to be.

Cinder resolved to wait in front of the school entrance for Ruby and the others to return, while still reflecting on her discovery. She was now glad Ozpin had forbid her from going. If she had faced Mira again, she feared she would have truly been lost, even if Ozpin spoke to her afterwards.

She was still furious at her mother – if she could be called that – but she would rather stay away from her, at least until she fully adjusted to her new reality. Maybe she could someday visit her in whatever prison Ozpin locked her in.

The sound of approaching footsteps tore her from her thoughts, but she was disappointed to see it was only one man. He was tall, with blonde hair and violet eyes, and wore simple clothes that seemed worn from travel.

"Hello." He greeted casually.

"Hello," she replied, looking at him suspiciously. Something about him seemed oddly familiar. "Can I help you?"

For a split second, she was astounded by what she had just said. Then she smiled, realizing how she had learned the act without even meaning to.

"Maybe," he said. "Are you a student here?"

"Not exactly…" Cinder spoke cautiously.

"That's unfortunate," he sighed. "I suppose you wouldn't know a Ruby and a Yang, then? The first one's a small redhead. Very loud. Likes to walk around with a cloak - picked it up from her mother. _Loves_ cookies. Yang has very large-"

"I know her!" Cinder paused. "I mean, them. Are you Taiyang Xiao Long, by any chance?"

He raised his arms triumphantly, as if she had won a big prize.

"The one and only!" He exclaimed. "How do you know them?"

"I… Uh…" Cinder cleared her throat. "It's a long story. They're out right now, on an important mission, but they should be back any minute."

Just as her terror at meeting her ex-kind-of-father-in-law began to grow, a number of hurried footsteps reached their ears. Cinder smiled and turned to gesture at the road, but stopped midway through the act, astonished by the sight.

Blake passed by her, dragging along Qrow, who had a large burn on his exposed left arm. He gave a brief glance to Taiyang, who was confused beyond hope.

"What sort of mission-"

His speech fell short as he saw his oldest daughter run beside him, carrying a bleeding Raven in her arms. His eyes met briefly with his lost love's, and she smiled weakly.

"I don't understand." He said in a dead tone. "What happened?"

Cinder turned to the last arrival, and her breath stilled. Weiss walked alone, staring down in defeat. Without thinking, Cinder grabbed her by a shoulder, forcing her to stop.

"Weiss?" Her voice transmitted all the panic she felt, just as flames started to dance around the hand that gripped the heiress. "Where's Ruby?"

Weiss shook her hand off, still silent.

"Answer her!" Taiyang yelled furiously. "Where is my daughter?!"

"…Gone," Weiss looked up at Cinder. "They took her away… She's gone."

* * *

At some point, Ruby had fallen unconscious – whether by violence or other means, she couldn't tell. When she came to, she was on her knees on a luxurious office, left hand chained to a leg of a table.

She backed away in terror. In front of her were Mira's personal underlings, but none of them were staring at her. Terrified, she followed their line of vision, and saw Mira sitting on the desk, swinging her legs with glee.

"All in all, this was a good day," the pyromancer declared, as if had been in the middle of a speech. "You did very well, though some less than others… I'm looking at you, Brain."

The bald psychic seemed to shrink under her stare. The bizarreness of the situation only added to Ruby's terror.

"And, Adam, I understood you wanted to bring Belladonna along. Why didn't you?" Mira asked curiously.

"I've no more interest in her," Adam cleared his throat. "She's dating a Schnee."

"Ah, yes. That Schnee and faunus rivalry," she chuckled. "I think you're too harsh, Adam. Love comes in all forms, and it should be allowed free of judgement and restrictions. Wouldn't you agree, Ruby?"

The redhead squealed in response, which only drew a smile from Mira.

"You're dismissed," she said, "except for you, Mercury."

"Me?" Mercury asked unsurely.

"Yes, dear," Mira confirmed. "That was a lot of agitation today. I need release."

While he seemed ecstatic, Emerald was clearly in panic.

"B-but, Miss Mira-"

"Just _Mira_." The pyromancer's voice was like a whip.

"Mira. Sorry," Emerald gulped. "W-why don't you use _her_?" She pointed towards Ruby. "I mean, she's cute…?"

"Hmm…"

Mira looked at Ruby, as if wondering about the proposal. The redhead's heart beat fast – she hoped desperately she was misunderstanding the situation, or that it was all a joke.

"No," Mira said. "She would be terrified, and that's only pleasant for a day or so. Besides, Cinder will come back eventually."

Emerald nodded. She shot Mercury one last mournful look, then exited the room. Mira pointed to a door, and he opened it and entered a bedroom, a wide smile on his face.

Mira got off the desk and crouched in front of Ruby, who stared at her in frighten.

"Don't worry, dear, I'll take care of you. We have _so much_ to talk about… My _daughter_ , for example," She said, her face uncomfortably close to Ruby's. "Or we could talk about it now? Mercury can wait a little while…"

Ruby just continued to stare at her. Mira sighed and patted her on her right cheek, then followed Mercury to the bedroom, closing the door behind her.

"Good night, Ruby Rose."

* * *

 **Alternate chapter title: "Shit gets real".  
**

 **So, Volume 3 is coming out next Saturday. I can't WAIT to be Jossed all over the place. (I am so hyped seriously this can't be good for a human body)**

 **[Sea Diary; Day 3.**

 **That magnificent ship's name was Monochrome. It could have crushed us without any effort. Luckily, it allowed us to pass unharmed.**

 **By the way, someone has gotta tell me they've figured out the chapter titles, because I'm feeling like a fool.**

 **Another ship approaches. And Monty help us, it's bigger than S. S. Monochrome.**

 **Zeroan, proud captain of the S. S. Falling Petals.]**

 **Flying-around-thanks to everyone who reviewed, followed and favorited _Falling Roses Burn Brighter_!**

 **-Zeroan**


	21. Falls from grace

"You've done a lot of dumb shit in your lives," Taiyang muttered. "You, Ozpin, and you too, Qrow. You're both as dumb as bricks. But for some reason, I never thought you'd be stupid enough to put my baby daughter at the frontlines of a deadly battle."

The headmaster just accepted the insult silently. He was glad to do it. If hating him took Taiyang's mind off of Ruby's unknown status, it was worth it – no father should have to endure such a dire situation.

But, at the back of his head, Ozpin knew Taiyang was right. The headmaster had a terrible habit of handling missions as if they were chess matches, almost, and that led to casualties when he made a wrong move. He should have known better than to turn his own students into pawns.

"Damnit, Qrow, she's your niece!" Taiyang yelled furiously, turning to stare at the scythe-wielding Huntsman, who was standing by the window of the office. "I know she's Summer's, but… She loves you like an uncle."

"I know that," Qrow said gravely. "Don't accuse me of not caring. My left arm is near useless because I tried to save her. If I were in a better condition, I'd be searching for her day and night."

He wasn't exaggerating the severity of his injury. When his arm had been examined, they'd discovered that it wasn't just a simple burn – it seemed to have somehow spread beneath his skin, like a disease, until more than half of the member was fragile and sluggish. The doctor had warned him not to put strain on it until they could find a proper cure or treatment.

"Yeah. Sorry," Taiyang crossed his arms. "You should have called me when it all started. I would have made a difference. If I had been there, Ruby would have never been caught."

"You're just a teacher, Tai." Qrow noted somberly.

"I'm also a father."

The two shared a significant look, knowing the depth of each other's pain as their own. Ozpin sat in silence, staring at his untouched coffee mug, with a helpless expression that did not fit him at all.

"Put your two brick brains together. Form a plan. When you're done, _tell me_ ," Taiyang ordered. "I'm going to find my other daughter and her mother."

He turned and stormed off the office. Ozpin waited a moment before looking at Qrow.

"I'll think of something. Meanwhile, we have a bomb planted under our roof," he said. "Keep a careful eye on Cinder. Don't let her know you're there, but if she goes crazy…"

"Yep," Qrow nodded unhappily, tapping his scythe at his hip. "I can aim half-well with one arm."

"Too bad," the headmaster sighed. "You'd need four arms for the task."

* * *

Weiss woke up beside Blake, hugging her like a child hugged her favorite doll at night. For a moment, the heiress smiled, feeling safe in the warmth of her girlfriend. And then she remembered why they were like this.

They hadn't been planning to sleep together, and when they did, it wasn't for the obvious reasons that would have Jaune faint with blood trickling down his nose. No. They had been feeling distressed and helpless, and the only way they could close their eyes was by staying close together.

Weiss looked up at the underside of Ruby's hanging bed. She could practically feel the emptiness of the room, the silence left behind by her partner. There was a time Weiss would have rejoiced in it – how sweet it would be to spend _one day_ without being constantly poked, dragged around, and yelled excitedly at by her! – but now she had tears in her eyes. She mournfully realized she had never appreciated Ruby enough, or at all.

"Hey, Weiss," Blake spoke softly at her ear. "Did you sleep?"

"Yes." The heiress said, feeling slightly guilty about the answer.

"I didn't."

Weiss turned and buried her head between Blake's shoulder and her neck, letting the tears spill free from her eyes.

"I could have done something – I should have!" She cried. "It's my fault! She was right there, and I couldn't, I couldn't-"

"You tried, and that was all you could do. Mira would have killed her," Blake said. "I wanted to try too, but I was too scared. At least you had the courage to do something."

"I almost got her killed. S-shit, she might already be-"

"Don't."

Blake gripped the back of Weiss's head and closed her eyes.

"Just… don't."

* * *

Ruby swung her left hand weakly. The chain binding her to Mira's desk rattled, but the attempt was as futile as all the ones before.

Her vision was swirling and filled with black dots. She hadn't been able to sleep at all, kept awake by the screams coming from the nearby bedroom. At first, they had been screams of pleasure, but then they morphed into terrifying screeches. Ruby didn't know which ones were worse.

She had promised herself she wouldn't think about the outside world, that she would keep a level head throughout the ordeal, like a true Huntress would. It worked for the first hours, but as the terror settled in, she couldn't help but wonder how long it would take for her to be rescued, or if she would be rescued at all.

In the back of her head, though, she was hoping no one came to her rescue. She had seen little of Mira's power, but it had been enough to know that no one she knew could defeat her… except Cinder, perhaps, and that was exactly the last person Ruby wanted to be her rescuer – not out of bitterness or pride, but because she was absolutely certain nothing good would come of the mother and daughter reunion.

So she spent her time in silent terror, desperately trying to find a way out, but still remembering the strength she knew she had. She might not have her scythe, or her speed, but she hadn't lost who she was, and who she wanted to be.

When the door to the bedroom opened and Mira stepped out, she met with a defiant look from Ruby. The woman seemed surprised at first, then she smiled.

"Hello, dear," Mira winked at her. "Hope we didn't keep you awake."

Ruby just stared at her, not wishing to give her any satisfaction. Mira shrugged and showed her a bottle of water.

"Maybe you'll talk when your throat's been parched." She said, opening the lid and leaning down to put it near Ruby's lips.

The redhead expected some kind of trick, but the sight of water made her throw all caution to the wind, at least for a while. She drank up, fuming silently as Mira's smile widened.

"That's enough, I believe. Wouldn't want you to drown, now would I?" Mira said, withdrawing the bottle. "Now that that's done, how about a little chat?"

"Eat… poop!" Ruby exclaimed suddenly.

"Oh my. How _vicious_ ," the pyromancer chuckled. "Do you use that language around your mother, Ruby?"

Ruby's lips straightened, her eyes glaring at her captor bitterly. Mira crouched in front of her, then laid a hand on her chin and started to examine her face from different angles. Ruby tried to yank her head back to its original position, but Mira's hold was unbelievably firm.

"You look very much like her, indeed…" Mira said wonderingly. "Summer Rose, Summer Rose… Now that was a Huntress to behold. How did she die again? Grimm? What a sad way to go out. You're turning the world into a better place, step by step, saving lives, and then comes a pack of wolves and eats you up."

"She died a hero!" Ruby protested, unable to hold her anger back.

"I never said otherwise. Why, _I_ , of all people, should know best about her demise."

"What do you mean?"

Mira just smiled at her before getting up and walking towards the bedroom. After one last wave, she closed the door, leaving Ruby alone with nothing but confusion and helplessness.

* * *

Raven's sleep was filled with nightmares. Faces of the people that she killed, those she had chosen not to help. In her dreams, the sky was red like blood and there was no sound except for the screams of her victims. In the corner of her vision, she could see a lonely woman in a white cloak staring at her, but every time she turned to look at her, she disappeared.

She woke up periodically for very brief bouts of time. The first time, she was being carried into the infirmary. Next, she came to the sight of a team of doctors examining the hole near her stomach. The last one must have been hours after that, because the wound was then wrapped in bandages, though it still hurt immeasurably, and her daughter was sitting beside her on a wooden chair, sleeping with a restless look on her face.

When she finally woke up fully, Yang was gone. She laid a hand on her stomach and winced, then slowly started to get up. A hand flew to her shoulder and forced her back down gently.

"No way," Taiyang said roughly. "You're not getting up anytime soon."

She just looked up at him, not knowing that to say, but she needed to find _something_ , or he would hear how loud her heart was beating.

"It's… nice to see you." Raven said hesitantly.

"Very smooth," he replied humorlessly. "It's almost like you haven't been gone for seventeen years."

"I-I… I'm… I'm so sorry!"

She felt unreal, like she was seventeen again and they had just met each other. In one moment, the burden she had been carrying for so long seemed to fade away, and she just broke down in tears.

Taiyang's serious expression faltered and he hugged her, trying to contain his own tears.

"Damnit… I was supposed to be yelling at you for being the worst person ever… But it's nice to see you too!" He laughed weakly.

"I'm sorry… I'm sorry…" She repeated quietly. "Just hold me."

He did so for a full minute, then slowly retreated. Raven grabbed his hand and looked at it, smiling. There was a single ring on his middle finger, decorated with a beautiful gemstone. The sight of it almost made her burst out laughing.

"Is that a _ruby_?" She wiped the tears from her eyes. "You're so cheesy."

"It was Summer's idea," Taiyang defend himself awkwardly. "And the ring came after the daughter, anyway."

"What? You married only after the pregnancy…?"

"No. We just waited a while before I… substituted the ring."

Raven nodded. There was so much to say about the topic, but she was glad they weren't discussing it so soon. But it did make her remember something very important, and that just drained all her happiness away.

"They took her," she whispered. "I couldn't stop them from taking your daughter."

"Hey, you… You had a pretty severe stab wound, so I forgive you for not trying," he said, looking away. "It'll be fine, by the way. As long as you recover properly, _in your bed_ , there will be no permanent damage."

"What about Ruby?" Raven insisted, realizing he was trying to escape from the topic by talking about more immediate situations. She recognized the method from long ago. "And our daughter? How is she?"

Taiyang gave her a significant look that told her he wasn't too happy about her choice of words.

"Yang left a while ago. She said she needed to talk with her team," he said. "She's really torn up about… All that happened."

"She's a tough girl. You raised her very well." Raven smiled slightly.

"You say that only because you didn't witness her punk years," Taiyang shuddered. "I should let you sleep."

Raven wanted to protest, but she didn't want to ruin the sweet, short moment they'd had.

She had a feeling the ones to follow would be nothing like it.

* * *

Screams.

Broken.

Burning.

Shards of glass.

Boiling water.

Hatred.

Vapor.

Injustice.

Reflection of amber.

 _Revenge._

* * *

Weiss and Blake didn't move from the way they'd woken up, choosing to spend the rest of the day in silence. They knew Ruby wouldn't have wanted this, but it was too early, too painful to leave their room and carry on with their normal lives.

A few hours before dusk, Yang entered the room. The two hadn't seen their blond teammate since their return to Beacon, and now they felt shame about not having searched for her. Of all people, she should be the one hurting the most.

"Listen to me. I'm only going to say this once," Yang said firmly. "I'm going to find my sister. I don't care what Ozpin or my father says about it. If I have to, I'll kick myself out of this school. Are you with me?"

"Absolutely." Weiss replied immediately, followed by a nod from Blake.

"Good. I knew I could count on you guys," the blonde said. "Out of us three, Blake's the one with the most experience of the outside world. Do you have any idea where to start searching?"

Blake bit her lower lip. She could list a few places, but she was certain they would lead nowhere. Raven had been infiltrated in the White Fang for more than a decade, and she couldn't learn the location of their main headquarters.

"I thought so," Yang shook her head. "So we have only one other option."

"Cinder," Weiss said. "Are you sure about this?"

"Look, I'll always be the first in line to punch that psychopath in the face. But I know she cares about Ruby. It's fucked up, but it's true. So I'm going to get her to help, and afterwards, I'll punch her in the face."

Weiss put a hand on her chin thoughtfully, then shrugged.

"That's fine with me."

* * *

They walked to Cinder's room in silence. Yang seemed resolute on following her plan, but Weiss and Blake weren't so sure. Cinder had plenty of reason to hate them, especially after what Weiss had let her feelings about her be known. They had no idea what to expect, but it was much more probable that something bad would happen.

Yang knocked on the door forcefully, then withdrew her hand with a curious expression on her face. The wood felt extremely hot to the touch, as if the room behind it was on fire. A few seconds passed before the door flew open.

Cinder was wearing a dress they had never seen before – a short red one with golden lines interlacing in its sleeves, which also left her shoulders and upper back bare. Her eyes set on each of them for several seconds, inexpressive, but somehow more terrifying than ever. Somehow, she had returned her hair to its natural dark color.

"We need your help." Yang said.

Cinder just stared at her for a long time, not saying anything. Then she leaned her head back and started to laugh loudly, as if Yang had just told the funniest joke she had ever heard.

Weiss and Blake were taken aback, while Yang's eyes narrowed angrily.

"Stop. Laughing!" She growled.

"Oh, I'm _sorry_ ," Cinder said, her voice resembling that of her mother's. "I couldn't help myself. It's just that for months now, you've nothing but hateful towards me. You never raised a finger to help me. What do you like to call me again? Ah, yes, a _psychopath_."

"We're sorry," Weiss spoke suddenly, trying to salvage the situation before Yang could respond. "We're sorry about how we treated you. But we need your help now, to find Ruby."

Cinder stepped out of her room, closing the space between her and Weiss, staring down at her eyes.

"You do need my help. But I don't need _yours_ ," she said. "Why would I bother to babysit three desperate little girls? You'd do nothing but get in the way."

"If you truly cared about Ruby, you'd accept our help." The heiress muttered accusatorily.

"No. Because I _truly care_ about Ruby, I'll make sure you three stay right here," Cinder shook her head. "You don't know what you're getting yourself into if you come with me. I'm done playing by your headmaster's precious rules. I'm going to kill whoever stands in my path, until I find Ruby," she turned to look at Yang. "How do you think she would feel if she found you became murderers? I'm doing what is best for her, as I have _always_ done."

Cinder and Yang stared at each other, both not willing to back down.

"She will hate you." Blake pointed out.

"Yes," Cinder agreed softly. "Yes, she will."

The pyromancer turned around and walked away, leaving them there, helpless.

* * *

When night fell – or so Ruby guessed, since she had no sure way to track time – Mira exited the bedroom again, stretching her arms leisurely. Ruby followed her silently with her eyes, wondering what she was planning on doing now.

"That was mildly disappointing," Mira said in a friendly tone. "He didn't last very long. Wasn't too good either. Young men are always so sure of themselves…" She smiled. "Not that you would know anything about that."

"Where's Mercury?" Ruby asked. "What did you do to him?"

"Well, when two people love each other very much…" The pyromancer rolled her eyes. "I used him for sexual pleasure then burned his insides. It's a Fall family trait."

Ruby's covered her mouth with her free hand, feeling her stomach doing turns at the thought that Mercury had just been killed so near her.

"When two people love each other very much…" Mira repeated slowly. "That reminds me of something. Didn't your father marry your mother just a year after Raven Branwen disappeared? Either he is Remnant's greater womanizer, or he never really loved Raven."

"Shut up," Ruby spat. "You don't know anything about my father!"

"True," Mira conceded. "But I know everything about your mother. I killed her, and that sometimes leads to a great degree of mutual understanding."

"My mother was killed by _Grimm_." The redhead refuted stubbornly.

"You think I'm trying to trick you? That's very wise of you, to be so cautious," Mira said. "It's sad, though. You'll never allow me to tell you the specifics…"

The older woman walked around her desk, retrieving an object from it, then crouched in front of Ruby. She raised her right hand, revealing a sharp, shimmering knife.

"One thing I really admired about Summer is that she refused to yell, not even when I started to tear her skin off with my bare hands…" Mira said. "Do you take after her?"

"Please… Don't…" Ruby whispered, eyes fixed on the knife's wicked blade.

"Relax. I'm just playing with you," the pyromancer chuckled. "You see, a good torturer relies not on the physical, but the emotional and mental side of things. So I'm not going to stab you, I'll just let you _think_ I'm going to stab you," she tilted her head to the side. "Did my daughter not teach you any of this?"

"Cinder would never-"

Suddenly, Mira swung with her hand, burying the knife on Ruby's left thigh. The redhead yelled in pain as tears formed in her eyes. Mira clucked her tongue and pulled the knife back, letting blood flow from the wound.

"Your mother would be disappointed," Mira noted sadly. "Don't worry about the wound. You're an excellent Huntress-in-training, so your Aura should be enough to get you by."

Ruby looked away from the wound, trying to ignore the pain and the blood. Mira yawned and sat beside her, leaning against the table of the leg to which Ruby was chained.

"Killing Mercury and talking with you has drained my energies very quickly," she said. "Normally, I would sleep in my bed, but there's a charred corpse there currently, and I can't be bothered to get rid of it yet. Do you mind if I stay here?"

Ruby just stared at her in disbelief. Mira smiled and closed her eyes, silently laying the knife between herself and her prisoner.

The young girl looked at the deadly object, her heart beating fast in her chest. Half of her wanted to pick it up and stab Mira in the heart as she laid to rest, while the other half was revolted by the idea.

After a minute of consideration, she took the knife and threw it across the room, preferring to be rid of it than having to struggle mentally all night long. Mira shook her head slowly, her eyes still closed.

"Disappointing. I kill your mother, keep you prisoner, stab you in the leg… And you still don't have the guts to kill me," she muttered. "I can't fathom why Cinder ever fell in love with you."

Slowly, Mira leaned to the side, until her head rested on Ruby's shoulder.

"Or why _you_ fell in love with _her_."

Ruby didn't fall asleep for a single second that night, and she wasn't sure Mira did too.

* * *

 **Who doesn't like mindgames? By the way, for the people worried about Ruby's predicament... Just stay tuned. I won't dissapoint you, pinky promise. Well, except when she dies at the last chapter. Oops.  
**

 **Congratulations to the people who figured out the chapter titles are the lyrics from _Sacrifice_. You all get virtual cookies. I am also gonna pretend Sonax3005 was right. I am totally that smart. Two virtual cookies to you, sir/lady/dog sir/dog lady.**

 **[Sea Diary; Day 4.**

 **The bigger ship's name was S.S. Bumblebee. It engaged S. S. Monochrome in battle, and for a moment, it looked like it would win. But miracuously, the S. S. Monochrome emerged victorious, and Captain Yang of the Bumblebee sunk screaming about _author favoritism_. I believe she was mad.**

 **I spy a motorboat on the horizon. But it is fifty meters tall. Oum help us all.**

 **Zeroan, proud captain of the S. S. Falling Petals.]**

 **(The author notes have practically turned into a fanfic of its own. I'm insane.)**

 **Eat-poop-sized thansk to everyone who reviewed, followed and favorited _Falling Roses Burn Brighter_!**

 **-Zeroan**


	22. Roses die

The night of Vale was oddly silent as Cinder walked through its streets, her gaze fixed forward so intensely that she appeared ready to annihilate anyone that might appear before her.

In the back of her mind, she knew the city's quietude was her fault. This was her seventh night on the hunt for Mira, and she grew more impatient with every fruitless clue she chased. The White Fang had grown wise when they found the first hideouts she had… _visited_ , and now they were all hiding in their safest havens.

Not that it would do them any good. Even if she didn't know half of these hideout's locations, she always found a way. That was her calling, after all – her reason to be.

Still, she would appreciate something, _anything_ , to help her get closer to her goal. Her latest move had been an all-out assault against a White Fang territory at the northeast sector of Vale. It wasn't just a building or two, but almost a half dozen blocks, all under the strict, secret control of the faunus terrorists. They had taken Cinder's appearance seriously, but not seriously enough – hours later, she'd walked away with no answers, and fire raging behind her.

That wasn't anything like her usual style. She had always been careful in her previous missions, leaving no evidence to point at her, like a ghost amidst men. What she was doing now was the complete opposite – not only was she feared by the lowlifes of Vale already, but soon the panic would spread to the general populace.

Cinder hated it, ironically. Now that she despised her violent side, she was giving in to it. She had a feeling her mother was delighted by that. But she would keep at it, until she found Ruby.

She wouldn't be forgiven. Her actions now were breaking the trust she had worked so hard to earn back. Ruby, as pure as she was, would never forgive her. She would never say it out loud, never explain exactly how much she hated her, but Cinder would know.

Perhaps that's what made all this violence worth succumbing to. Because, at the very end, Ruby would be alive to remind Cinder that there existed someone good enough to counter her evil.

So when she arrived at her next target, Cinder did not pause before kicking down the door, and she shed no tears when the floor was covered in red.

* * *

"Have you thought about what I asked you a week ago, dear?" Mira asked casually as she polished her fingernails. "About why you fell for my beloved daughter?"

Ruby closed her eyes, trying to shut out her captor's voice. She had gained some affinity for the effort the last few days, but Mira always managed to get to her. There was something alluring about the tone of her voice coupled with her deceiving words that made it impossible to ignore her.

"Now, the average person would say something about her appearance," Mira said. "She is _very_ attractive, as you well know. She takes after her that's a bit too shallow for you, Ruby. You're surrounded by gorgeous girls, so it must be something else…"

The pyromancer dropped from her desk and sat beside Ruby, gesturing with her filer as if they were intimate friends.

"Second theory: personality," Mira rolled her eyes. "She's… fine. As average as they get, in normal circumstances. A bit funny, a bit generous, a bit rancorous… Blah, blah, blah. Can we move on?" She snapped her fingers. "The danger!"

Ruby just glared at her, letting her feelings about the theory be very clear.

"You think I'm wrong? I can see your point," Mira shrugged. "Supposedly, you never knew she was dangerous until it was too late. _Supposedly_. I believe you always knew, a little bit, even if you yourself didn't realize it. I mean, it's easy to see the evil in Cinder if you try to."

"I didn't know," Ruby said with gritted teeth, falling for the pyromancer's game. "And even if I did, why would I be attracted to her because of it?"

"Ah, now _that_ is an interesting question," Mira leaned closer to Ruby. "We all have evil inside us, dear. Most people let it out on occasion, while others like me just accept it fully. But you… You are too good to give in to it. But it's there, I know it."

She smiled and deposited the filer in Ruby's palm, their faces so close together the redhead could feel Mira's hot breath on her skin.

"A part of you would just _love_ to stab me in the heart right now," Mira whispered, forcing Ruby's fingers to close around the filer. "It would feel so good, right? No more torture. No more mind games. You just have to give in…"

Ruby stared into Mira's eyes, her face a mask of a thousand emotions. The hand that held the filer was trembling wildly, as if she were putting her all into resisting Mira's suggestion.

"Get. Off. Me." Ruby managed to say.

Mira rolled her eyes in mock frustration and made a little space between them. She took the filer and shook it briefly.

"Want me to do your nails now?" She asked.

"No." Ruby replied flatly.

Mira's eyes straightened, and suddenly she buried the filer in Ruby's palm. The redhead winced, but quickly shook the object off and away from her. And as if nothing had happened, she turned her head to stare at Mira. For the first time since her capture, she smirked playfully.

The pyromancer stilled, her hands clenching into fists. Without another word, she got up and stormed off the room, her steps leaving burn marks on the floor.

As soon as she was gone, Ruby curled into a ball and clutched her bloody hand, silently begging for her rescue to come soon.

* * *

Qrow was not in a good mood. Between a missing niece, a critically wounded sister, a bloodthirsty brother-in-law, _and_ a loose psychopath, he was being pushed to the limits to keep everything under control.

For years now, he had been successful at everything but foiling Mira's plan. Clear out a hundred Grimm by his lonesome? Easy. Halt an assassination attempt? Already done. A cat stuck on top of a tree branch? Tricky, but he could make time for it.

But now he couldn't do anything. His left arm was all but useless; any attempts of comforting Yang or her father turned into a train wreck in a matter of seconds; and worst of all, there was a ticking time bomb under Beacon's roof in the form of a recently reunited-but-not-quite-there couple.

He shuddered just thinking about what would happen when Raven and Taiyang really got talking. The destruction, the emotions… Preferably, he would be a kingdom away from them when it happened.

And that's what had him rushing around Beacon, making more than one student scream in fear when he bolted beside them like a madman. Half an hour ago, he had gone to the infirmary to check up on Raven, but the bed was empty. That was bad, to say the least. She wasn't supposed to be up for two weeks, minimum. He had to find her before she collapsed on a random hallway, or worse, turned up dead in a Vale alley.

After checking every corner of the main school building, Qrow ran to the dormitories, specifically RWBY's. It didn't take him long to find their room, and when he did, he didn't hesitate before pushing the door open.

"Hey Yang is your mother-" He paused, realizing the room was empty. "Well crap."

He turned around and entered the opposing room. Four young students looked at him quizzically – one of them, an orange-haired girl, was bouncing around on a pogo stick.

"Hello," he said. "Have any of you seen an older, dark-haired Yang?"

"…No?" A blond boy replied tentatively.

"Okay, thanks," Qrow exited the room, then came back. "Cool pogo stick, by the way."

The girl squealed happily, then promptly catapulted into a dark-haired boy's body. He just sighed and glared accusatorily at Qrow, who then left for good.

Qrow made for the next probable destination, Ozpin's office. He should have gone there in the first place, but his panic-driven mind had made him run everywhere before making up an actual plan.

Halfway through his run, however, he paused in front of the school library, realizing he hadn't looked there. He hesitated, not expecting Raven to be there of all places, but knowing he would be kicking himself afterwards if she was there and he ignored the possibility.

So he just peeked his head inside silently, and found the sight he had least expected. Raven and Taiyang were sitting side by side, examining a map on a table before them, both gesturing and talking animatedly.

"She can't be anywhere near here," Raven pointed out. "I scoured the southwest most thoroughly, and found nothing remotely suspicious. Besides, it would be an odd place for a criminal overlord to hide."

"Why?" Taiyang inquired confusedly. "I mean, if I was a criminal overlord, I would disguise myself as an ice cream seller in a rich neighborhood."

"If you were a criminal overlord, you'd be overthrown in less than a week's time."

Qrow almost melted where he stood, forgetting about how worried he had been. Raven and Taiyang working together to save Ruby, without even a hint of hostility between them? It was too good to be true. He would have been a great help, too, but he decided not to interfere.

With most of his immediate preoccupation gone, Qrow walked away from the library, whistling under his breath. After a few seconds, he paused with a frown on his forehead.

Where the hell were the girls of team RWBY?

* * *

"Stop shifting, Weiss!" Yang urged through gritted teeth. "Why the hell did we choose you as the bottom, anyway?!"

The heiress glared up at her. Yang was standing on her shoulders, lifting Blake shakily so the faunus could spy through a window to the inside of the building they had singled out.

"Because she's in a dress." Blake explained briefly, not diverting her eyes from her target for a single moment.

"So what? You could have been bottom, it's not like you haven't seen what's under the dress." Yang grumbled.

"Hey!" Weiss protested. "And, it's a battle-skirt."

"Yeah, and my top is a battle-shirt!" The blonde rolled her eyes. "Blake, what do you see?"

Blake dropped to the ground, and Yang followed suit, shooting a glare towards their white-haired teammate. They were standing on an alleyway on the northeast sector of Vale, just beside a building Blake knew served as a White Fang hideout.

"I was able to spot at least fifteen grunts," the faunus informed. "We shouldn't have problem dealing with them, but I'm sure there are a lot more hiding somewhere. Maybe it's best we try our luck somewhere else."

"I agree," Weiss said. "This is the biggest location you know, but it doesn't mean it's the place Mira stays at. If anything, she would prefer a smaller, more discreet building. I say we try somewhere less risky."

"Screw that. I'm not measuring risks while my little sister is missing." Yang spoke firmly.

Weiss and Blake glanced at each other, but didn't argue. If anyone had a final say in their decisions, it was Yang.

The three walked around to the front and stormed inside, weapons at the ready. The grunts responded almost immediately, aiming their guns at them, but the bullets were deflected mid-air by Weiss's glyphs.

Yang's eyes turned red, and like a one-woman-army, she dashed to each of the faunus, pummeling them unconscious, cracking the floor as she send them crashing down hard. Once she was done, Yang looked back at her teammates, still in her wild state of mind.

"So?" She asked. "Who do we take?"

Weiss looked away uncomfortably. They had all agreed to the plan – defeat the White Fang, take one of them prisoner for interrogation – but she still felt uneasy about it. She was the last person to defend the White Fang, but what they had in mind sounded awfully close to torture.

"I don't think any of them are important," Blake said, turning over one of the unconscious men with a foot. "They all look like fresh recruits."

"Oh, great!" Yang exclaimed. "Your biggest lead turns out to be just a White Fang pre-school."

"Calm down," the brunette pointed to the floor. "We could go up, but that's too obvious. Some of the hideouts extend underground, through a single trapdoor. See if you can find something like that."

Less than a minute of searching after, they found a tile that projected out of the ground, and once they removed it from the rest of the floor, they discovered a ladder that descend into darkness.

Yang went first, followed by Blake and Yang. It didn't take long for their feet to touch ground again. They found themselves in a dimly-lit hallway, covered by doors at both sides.

"What the heck is this?" Weiss asked worriedly.

"I… have no idea," Blake admitted. "I thought we would find another floor, not a creepy hallway."

"You know, when Blake says something is creepy, we should probably avoid it." The heiress pointed out.

"We're not gonna find Ruby in a rainbow-themed playground!" Yang exclaimed impatiently. "Look, if you don't care enough, just go."

Weiss had to bite back a heated retort. The accusation in Yang's statement struck a nerve, but she knew it was the sisterly instincts talking.

"Let's get going." Weiss said and took the lead, keeping her rapier pointed in front of her.

As they walked, Blake threw glances at the rooms they passed by. They all seemed empty, which only added to her unease. She had seen horrible things during her White Fang years, but this hallway seemed to come from a horror movie.

She looked at the back of Yang's head, Raven's words echoing in her mind. The grim swordswoman had claimed to have been forced to do horrible things to keep up her disguise, and Blake had always assumed they had had similar experiences. Now she was realizing how wrong that assumption was – _this_ , what they were delving into, was what Raven meant.

"The floor's not plain," Weiss noted quietly. "We're going even further down."

They walked for so long, they lost track of time. Just as Yang's resolve began to break and she prepared to announce they should turn back, they came to an intersection, a chamber that split into several other hallways at all directions.

"I smell blood." Blake declared suddenly, causing Weiss to jump so high her head almost hit the ceiling.

"Great!" The heiress hissed. "That's not creepy at all!"

"Sorry," the faunus looked away embarrassedly. "I think we should follow that scent. I mean, it's better than wandering aimlessly."

"Oh, yes, follow the blood. So much better," Weiss shook her head. "Good choice of girlfriend, Miss Schnee."

Yang shook her head, then followed the direction Blake pointed to. She whirled her gauntlets, expecting to be jumped at any moment. A few meters into the hallway, they found the source of the smell: a trail of blood leaked out from under a door, covering the floor in red.

Without asking for her friend's opinion, Yang opened the door abruptly and rushed inside, only to discover it was another hallway. She followed the blood with her eyes and found a woman leaning on the wall, killed by a stab wound to the chest.

Blake saw the body too, then stopped Weiss's advance with an arm.

"What?" The heiress glared at her. "I'm not a child."

"I don't care," Blake muttered. "Some things are better left unseen."

A door further down the hallway flew open, and a dozen grunts filed out in a line. One of them looked to the side, his eyes flicking from the body to the unknown girls.

"Run!" Blake yelled, pulling Yang away before she decided to put up a fight.

The three girls returned to the previous hallway and bolted, hearing the guns firing just behind them. Weiss turned briefly to conjure an ice wall, which do little to actually halt the criminal, but at least it would confuse them.

"Where the hell are we going?!" Weiss screamed. "We should have turned right back!"

"I don't know!" Yang shouted back. "Just run!"

But before they could put any real distance between them and their chasers, another armed group appeared before them. Blake skidded to a halt and morphed her swords into their pistol forms, firing at the criminals before they noticed her.

Unfortunately, they were too many, and soon the girls were under fire by tens of guns at once. Yang covered her teammates with her body, then tackled a door open. They rolled into a room with a single bloody chair at its center, their breaths shallow and eyes flickering around in panic.

"We can take them." Yang said, more to herself than the others. "They're nothing."

"You're right," Blake agreed confidently. "They can't be more than a hundred. If we're smart and don't let them all come at us at once, we can defeat them."

Yang nodded, accepting the plan.

And then an alarm began to ring across the hallways. Blake sighed and raised her sword and sheath tiredly.

"Or maybe we should just hope very hard."

* * *

Cinder had been navigating the hallways for hours now. When she had descended through that trapdoor the night before, she hadn't been expecting to find an underground network of tunnels spread throughout the whole northeast sector of Vale, and possibly beyond.

Evading the White Fang was hard, but so far she had managed to dispose of any opposition before they were able to alert others. But she knew it wouldn't be long before a few too many bodies were found and a manhunt started. Cinder was sure she could fight her way out, but she would prefer to stay unseen.

But if there was one thing she wanted more than to avoid a bloodbath, it was to find a clue of where Ruby was being kept. In such a secret and intricate location, she was sure there had to be some high-ranking officers, perhaps even some she knew personally. They would have something to say, and if they refused to, she would _change their minds_.

Her search came to fruition when she kicked a door open and entered a small warehouse, bustling with White Fang recruits. At the very back, she saw Roman Torchwick handling some unknown device. He looked at her in fright, and she smiled.

Her eyes blazed lively as she dashed to each recruit and cut them down, too fast for any of them to follow. Like a conqueror from hell, she turned to Torchwick and in an instant was in front of him, one sword hovering below his throat.

"Hello, Roman," she said calmly. "How have you been?"

"I'm very well, thank you for asking," he fumbled with his necktie, trying to play it cool, but his eyes were fixed on her weapon's sharp edge. "I can see by the tone of your voice that you are very well too. You don't seem half as crazy as the last time we saw each other."

"What can I say," Cinder smiled. "Violence soothes me."

She knocked him on the side of his head, making him crash to the floor painfully. Before he could recover from his daze, she gripped him by the collar of his shirt and slammed him against a wall, her face dangerously close to his.

"Tell me where Ruby was taken," she demanded. "Tell. Me!"

She slammed him again, and Roman looked at her, bewildered.

"How am I supposed to know?! You should understand I am not the trustworthy type, even among criminals!" He exclaimed. "I've not even met Mira!"

"But you know her name!" Cinder spat, flicking one sword across the length of his right shoulder, opening a deep gash. "You're pathetic. You use your bravado, you play with insignificant lies, but you _know_ things! So tell me! Where. Is. Ruby?!"

He glared at her and swung his right arm, trying to bash her head with the device he was still holding. Cinder dodged effortlessly and gripped his arm, then pinned him to the floor face-down. She leaned down until she could whisper in his ear, one hand trailing the back of his neck.

"If you cooperate, I'm sure we can work something out," she said huskily. "I won't kill you… I'll owe you a _favor_ …"

"Go to hell." Roman grunted.

Cinder summoned her swords again, and with an enraged yell, buried them at the back of his knees.

"Tell me!"

She twisted and pulled upwards, her calculating expression shattered, revealing how desperate she was.

"Tell me, Roman! I need to know!"

She turned him around and straddled him. Her right fist flew to his face, followed by her left, and right again… With each strike, the life in him faded, his eyes fixed emotionlessly on the ceiling.

"Tell me!" Cinder closed her eyes and delivered one last punch.

Something snapped, and his head lolled to the side.

Cinder edged away and leaned against a wall, hugging her legs. She buried her head in her knees and stayed there, silent, faintly hoping that someone would stumble onto the scene and enact revenge.

She waited for hours, but no one came. Eventually, the hallways were filled with a blaring alarm.

"Finally." she muttered.

" _Intruders have been sighted!_ " A robotic voice announced from an unseen speaker outside the room. " _Three armed young girls! Everyone is ordered to capture or kill them! I repeat, intruders have been sighted!_ "

Cinder looked up, both surprised and annoyed. Casting a glance to Roman's body, she conjured her swords and stormed off the room.

* * *

"I'm running out of Dust." Weiss announced dreadfully.

Yang looked back at her and retreated from the doorway, her gauntlets whirling madly as she shuffled through every round chamber in them.

"I'm almost out of ammo too," the blonde said, her voice breaking. "I don't think we can win. I'm… I'm sorry I pulled you two into this."

"You didn't force us to do anything," Weiss noted. "This was for Ruby."

Blake looked at her girlfriend, then down at her sword and sheath.

"This still is for Ruby."

Before Weiss could ask her what she meant, Blake bolted out of the doorway, passing by a startled Yang. The sound of the grunts' gunfire intensified, mingled with painful cries and vengeful oaths.

"Blake!" Weiss yelled, exiting the room too.

The faunus had somehow managed to breach into the center of the grunts' group and was now cutting away at them like mad, her mouth twisted into a feral snarl. Blood flew from various points of her body, but she kept going, until all but one of the White Fang was dead.

The last man raised his gun and pointed it to Blake's head, but an icicle pinned him to the wall, piercing his heart. Weiss dashed to her girlfriend, taking her in her arms as she collapsed.

"No. No, no, no," Yang looked at the couple in shock. "She's not…"

"She's breathing," Weiss said, tears pooling in her eyes. "I don't think she's gonna make it."

Blake's eyes flittered open. She seemed very annoyed by their conversation.

"Stop _moping_ and run," she muttered. "I gave us a chance."

They could hear the footsteps of another group nearing them. The girls knew they couldn't outrun them, not with a bleeding Blake to be carried.

"Weiss, go ahead with Blake," Yang said. "I'll slow them down."

"That's insane. You're a pain, Xiao Long, but I'm not leaving you behind!" Weiss refuted.

"Ice Queen…" The blonde turned her head to glare at her white-haired teammate. "You've got to learn to be less stubborn."

And with that, Yang ran towards the criminals. Weiss hesitated for a moment, then took off running in the opposite direction, using her glyphs to boost her speed.

When Yang met the grunts after turning a corner, she barreled straight through them, knocking the majority of them to the ground. The ones left standing shot at her. Her Aura dwindled rapidly, just as much as her Semblance's potential rose. She delivered one punch after another, each so strong it shattered through her foes' defenses like a knife cutting butter.

Once all of them were down, Yang looked around, her eyes red like blood. At that point, the alarm had been repeating itself for a half hour, and most of the White Fang should be heading in her direction. Already she could hear another wave arriving.

She used the last of her ammunition to tear through their numbers at a distance, then met with them with her fists raised. They fell easily, but the time she had to take to defeat them proved to be her downfall, as she failed to notice the bigger threat to her.

A man stood at the end of the hallway, supporting a bazooka on his right shoulder. With careful aim, he shot at her, one large missile streaking the air towards her. Yang looked at it, startled, and crossed her arms in front of her.

The moment after the impact was like nothing she had felt before. Her Aura shattered, the fire in her faded away, and suddenly every muscle and bone in her vibrated painfully. She fell to the ground with her ears ringing and unable to do anything but wait to be finished off.

Yang closed her eyes, cursing herself for being so stupid. This was exactly what her mother had taught her not to do. Her Semblance was a great boon the majority of times, but when it broke, her body felt all the pain that had been blocked beforehand in one single, overwhelming instant.

 _I'm sorry, Ruby._

She heard the man stopping beside her and the drawing of a sharp object. He chuckled. Then, suddenly, there was the sound of gurgling blood, and something fell by Yang's side.

The blonde opened her eyes and saw Cinder standing above her, holding two bloodied blades menacingly.

"I warned you," the pyromancer said.

Another wave of grunts appeared, but Cinder paid the minimal attention, releasing one large burst of fire to incinerate them before they were even close.

"I could be interrogating someone now. I could be getting closer to your sister," Cinder muttered, offering a hand. "But instead, I have to save you."

Yang looked away. She was too weak to even take the helpful hand.

Cinder grunted with frustration and lifted her, putting her over her shoulder like a child. The pyromancer looked around and set off on a march, fists clenched.

"I told you. I told all of you," she continued. "What about your teammates? Are they dead somewhere?"

"No." Yang managed to say. Her humiliation was so great, she didn't even bother to argue with her most hated… _ally_.

"You don't even know," Cinder shook her head. "Whatever. I hope you learned your lesson."

Cinder must have memorized the way back, because she didn't take any wrong turns. They encountered little resistance, and were back at the initial ladder in less than ten minutes.

The pyromancer almost fell as she climbed the ladder while supporting Yang's weight. When they finally arrived at the building's first floor, Cinder put Yang on the ground and just stood there for a while, fuming silently.

"Cinder?" Yang called. "…Thank you."

"Yeah," Cinder smiled humorlessly. "I don't care about your gratitude. Don't get in my way again."

She turned and exited the building, slamming the door behind her. Yang laid there, slowly rebuilding her strength, while cursing herself for not having found her sister.

* * *

"Ruby, dear," Mira sang, entering her room with a smile. "I have _bad_ news."

Ruby looked at her emotionlessly, just waiting for whatever torment Mira would be putting her through now.

"I just got word that three young women were discovered invading a very important White Fang territory. A blonde, the Schnee heiress, and a faunus," the pyromancer cocked her head tauntingly. "Maybe they were searching for something, or _someone_."

"Yeah, very funny," Ruby sighed. "What are you going to say now? They all died?"

"No. Just one," Mira winked. "Adam's going to be _so_ heartbroken."

Ruby kept a straight face. Mira crouched before her curiously.

"Oh my," she said. "You've grown cold, Ruby Rose. I wonder if you would have cared if your _sister_ had died instead."

"You're lying." Ruby stated firmly.

"Am I? Why? Have I told you any lies, Ruby?" Mira posed the question with a round gesture with her hand. "It's true that I killed your mother. It's true that you love what my daughter is. _And_ it's true that Blake Belladonna is dead."

For a long while, there was silence. Then Ruby chuckled and shook her head.

"I know what you're doing," she said. "You're trying to turn me into one of your people. You think you're going to break me, but it's not gonna work. You wanna know why?"

"Go ahead." Mira replied calmly.

"Because I _know_ who I am. I'm a Huntress. I'm my mother's daughter. I don't care about your lies," Ruby's silver eyes sparked with determination. "And you're not going to make me hate you."

Mira's finger twitched, and a few flames erupted around them. Ruby narrowed her eyes, preparing for the worst.

And then Mira smiled.

"I guess you're right. Very admirable," she said. "But you're not the one who I need to be hated by."

Mira's hand closed around Ruby's shoulder. Smoke rose from her fingers, but the redhead did nothing but glare at her.

* * *

 **Oh dayum. The plot thickens.  
**

 **Next time, we discover what happened to Weiss and Blake, some Xiao Long family drama unfolds, and Cinder's spree continues. What joy!**

 **Also, I just wanna say Blake's "I smell blood" line is for some reason very hilarious to me. I couldn't resist keeping it in.**

 **[Sea Diary; Day 5.**

 **The fifity meter tall motorboat turned out to be S. S. Arkos. Its crew was very courteous. For some reason all the females there kept saying _I'm sorry_.**

 **Surprisingly, I see a... plane, on the horizon. Or is it a bird? I don't know.**

 **Zeroan, proud captain of the S. S. Falling Petals.]**

 **Blood-sized thanks to everyone whor reviewed, followed and favorited _Fallign Roses Burn Brighter_!**

 **-Zeroan**


	23. Gods and deities

Yang woke up in a strange alleyway with the sun shining brightly on her face. She shuffled to her feet in panic, her mind desperately trying to catch up to the events that led to her being there.

She had almost died. Cinder saved her. They separated... Then she tried going back to Beacon, but she was too weak. The only explanation was that she had fainted before getting anywhere remotely close to the school. How many hours she had been lying there, vulnerable to any kind of aggression? Just thinking about it sent shivers running down her back.

And then her eyes widened as she fit the final pieces of her memory together. In a heartbeat, she fished for her Scroll inside her pocket and turned it on. Weiss had called her more than a dozen times the last six hours. When Yang returned the call, it took barely no time for her to be answered.

" _Yang!_ " The heiress's voice sent waves of alternating relief and dread upon Yang. Weiss was clearly a hair's width from breaking, but at least it didn't sound like she was crying. " _I've been calling you for hours! Are you okay?!_ "

"Yeah, I'm… you know," Yang shook her head. "Alive. Cinder saved me. What… What about Blake?"

Weiss was silent for a brief second, but to Yang, it felt like a whole minute.

"I got her to a hospital in time. She's… She's Blake. She'll pull through," the heiress said, her voice wavering dangerously. "We're at Beacon now. Ozpin brought her here. He said keeping a student being saved from near-death on a public hospital would bring too many questions."

"Hooray for the headmaster." Yang muttered dryly. "Weiss, I… We didn't get Ruby back."

"…Your parents are about to explode. Come back already."

The call ended suddenly without another word from Weiss. Yang had half the mind to break the Scroll in half and give up then and there, but Ruby's face was imprinted on her mind, a constant reminder of why she had to keep going.

Without a sound, Yang put away her Scroll and started the long way back to Beacon.

* * *

 _"How's the planting going?"_

 _Blake's entire body was cold and shivering as she slowly worked on fixing the White Fang's bomb to the wall. She could feel the rumbling of the train as it sped along the rails towards a destination she did not know._

 _"I'm…" She talked to the radio shakily. "I'm not sure I wanna do this, Adam. What about the people in the train?"_

 _"What about them?" There was something unsettling about his voice, like she had already heard him say that once before._

 _"They'll die."_

 _"And if that bomb doesn't go off before the train stops, I'll kill you myself."_

 _The faunus girl shook her head and stumbled away from the bomb. She tackled the cabin's door, forcing it open._

 _"I'm not doing it."_

 _Blake looked around, but she saw only white. The train was moving from nowhere to nowhere._

 _"Alright," Adam's voice crackled inside her head. "You made your choice."_

 _A hand fell on her shoulder. Blake spun around, screaming-_

* * *

Blake sat up on her bed, screaming. Weiss's chair fell to the floor as she jumped to her feet, eyes wide in fright.

"Blake! Calm down!"

The heiress wrapped her arms around her. Blake was breathing heavily, looking around their room as if a ghost might emerge from one of its shadowy corners. Slowly, the faunus's movements came to a halt and she embraced Weiss in return.

"You scared the life out of me," Weiss whispered. "Y-you shouldn't be awake, much less sitting up."

"Yeah. About that…" Blake's face contorted as her adrenaline settled and gave way to agonizing pain across her whole body. "I feel like crap."

Weiss shook her head in a rather motherly way and laid her back down on the bed. The heiress took a step back and wiped her brow with a hand, looking at her girlfriend with vague amusement.

"Is this how our relationship will always be like?" She asked. "You make some rash, selfless decision and I get the duty of caring for you while you recover?"

"I'd like to say not, but… Some things might never change," Blake said weakly. "Why are we in our room, and not the infirmary or a hospital?"

"Well…" Weiss dragged a foot on the floor as she looked away from her. "I thought you'd like to wake up in your bed this time."

Blake just stared at Weiss, honestly surprised by how coyly she was acting. The sight brought a smile to her face and somehow made the pain much more bearable.

"Weiss," she said. "I think I love you."

The heiress's face displayed a vast array of emotions as she processed the declaration. Then, in a futile attempt to conceal her reaction, she crossed her arms and raised her chin haughtily.

"Obviously. Am I not the best girlfriend in the world?" Weiss asked firmly. After a few moments, her mask crumbled and she looked at Blake nervously. "You _think_?"

"No," Blake chuckled. "I do love you."

"Good!" Weiss exclaimed, trying to save face. "I love you too. Are we settled? We're settled."

She cleared her throat and restored her chair to its upright position, then sat down, clearly struggling to keep her eyes away from her girlfriend. Blake smiled, knowing she had caught her completely off-guard.

There were a few things in life worth being riddled with bullets for.

* * *

For a week now, Raven had been waiting for things to go wrong. Every time she saw Taiyang, she entered a state of fear and anxiety, expecting him to explode at any minute. But instead, they had had normal, even pleasant encounters, as if there weren't seventeen years of absence to explain.

She had been glad for it, but now she realized it had been a mistake to not take the lead and face the consequences. The silence between the two of them as they waited for their daughter to return was heavy with fury and regret; just one look at Taiyang was enough to understand how furious he was.

Even so, Raven didn't speak. On the back of her head, she knew why he hadn't lashed out at her yet – he would wait until they knew Yang was safe and being cared for, because she was his first priority. Raven would have been happy for it, if it weren't for their current situation.

Hours passed as they paced near Beacon's front gates, no words spoken. Then, Yang appeared, slowly walking on the road. Her hair was a mess and there were several bruises on her skin, but at least there was no blood. Raven made to reach, but Taiyang shot her a look that froze her where she stood, then raced to his eldest daughter.

"Yang!" He hugged her fiercely, his voice heavy with emotion. "You look terrible."

"Thanks, dad," she said dryly. "I'm okay. I just made some stupid mistakes," she looked at her mother. "I let a metaphorical plane hit me."

Raven frowned confusedly before she understood what Yang was talking about. She shook her head and smiled lightly.

"Let that be a lesson to _always_ dodge," the swordswoman said. "Let's get you to the infirmary."

"But I'm _fine_ ," Yang protested, parting from Taiyang's embrace and pointing down at herself. "See? No blood!"

"Don't even try. I know how much it hurts, even if it doesn't look like it."

Yang sighed, then let her father lead her towards the school with a hand on her back. Raven followed quietly, lagging behind a bit so as to let the two talk privately. It felt only right to do so.

"Dad, I…" Yang muttered sadly. "I didn't find Ruby."

"It's okay, dear," Taiyang said. "You tried, even if you shouldn't have. If you do that ever again, I swear I'll… I'll cut off your shampoo supply."

"So what?" She rolled her eyes. "When I'm a Huntress, I'll have my own money. You won't be able to stop me from buying shampoo forever."

"That's three years from now. How well do you think you would survive until then?" He asked with a tone of finality.

Yang tried to find an opposing argument, but she just couldn't. The threat was too real to be combated.

As they entered the school and walked in the infirmary's direction, Yang looked back at her mother, then at Taiyang. When she spoke again, Raven barely heard it, but she identified the guilt in her voice.

"I… I killed a lot of people back there, I think."

Taiyang skipped a beat, but continued to walk.

"Did you have to?" He asked.

"Yeah."

"It's okay, then. Just… don't think too much about it, okay?"

They reached the infirmary and Taiyang pushed his daughter inside. She looked back at him pleadingly, but his face was stern, so she went and sat on a bed, waiting for a nurse to come attend her.

Taiyang shut the door and turned to Raven, then silently lead her away, exiting the building again so they were in open air, away from Yang's ears.

"You," he said. "I don't even know the words to describe how I feel about you, but I know they are _not_ nice."

Raven took the insult in silence. It hurt to hear it, but she knew she deserved it.

"What a coincidence that, not _one month_ after you appear on my daughters' life, one of them is kidnapped and the other is nearly killed!" He exclaimed. "But not only that! Qrow has practically lost his left arm too! Man, I can't _wait_ for my turn! Are my feet going to be cut off? Maybe a hand! Ooh, the possibilities are endless!"

"If I hadn't been here to help, everyone would be in an even worse shape." Raven pointed out, though she was struggling to believe her own words.

"Right. Because you're this selfless, badass _savior_ , right?" Taiyang smiled humorlessly. "You _suffered_ for seventeen years. Seventeen years of isolation and _unspeakable_ horrors. You know what I think of that?" His eyes straightened. "Boo. Fucking. Hoo."

Raven's fist clenched, and for the first time she felt genuinely angry at him.

"Yes, I suffered seventeen years of that so your _wife_ and my _brother_ didn't have to!" She said. "Don't belittle me. You have no idea what I went through."

"No, _you_ have no idea what _we_ went through," Taiyang replied. "Did you have to tell a little girl her mother was missing, and dead? Did you pull your brother away from the bar he'd been living in for years? Were you watching as Summer threw herself at every possible danger that could even _remotely_ lead to her best friend, until she _died_?"

Raven looked away, tears stinging on her eyes.

"You threw away your life and made everyone else's a living hell, that's what you did. So when you tell me you suffered… It's because you deserved it," Taiyang said. "But you can fix your mistake, if only a little bit, now. You just walk away and never talk to _my_ family again."

She stared at him, one hand trembling around her sword's hilt. Without a word, she spun around and walked away, dark hair flowing with the wind.

Taiyang returned to the school, never looking back.

* * *

Junior cleaned his bar's glasses in fearful silence, looking at his surprise visitor for the night. He had heard word of Cinder Fall's rampaging all around the city, but he hadn't thought she'd come to him, of all people. He was insignificant compared to everyone else, even he knew that.

But to his luck – good or bad, he didn't know – she hadn't yet directed a word to him except to order a drink. It was a particularly strong one, and she hadn't hesitated to refill numerous times. If she weren't so fearsome, Junior would have said she didn't have any experience with alcohol, because she was wobbling on her seat, and had lashed out when people went to sit at her sides.

He winced when he saw another daring adventurer making her way towards Cinder. As soon as she sat, Cinder's right hand whipped towards her, gripping her on the arm and releasing a frightening amount of smoke.

"Go. Away." Cinder muttered threateningly.

"You look lonely," Raven said, her own voice slurring slightly. "Thought we could rejoice in our collective misery."

"Right," the pyromancer glared at her, but let go of her arm. "What? Did your daughter die?" She rolled her eyes. "Of course not. I saved her. You're welcome."

Raven pointed at the counter and shot a dangerous look towards Junior. The barkeeper muffled a yelp and darted around hurriedly, then brought an enormous glass to Raven and, for good measure, Cinder.

"I assume you've had no luck finding Ruby," Raven said. "Want my advice?"

"No." Cinder replied immediately.

"Just give up," Raven took a large sip, ignoring her. "Trust me. You and me, we're very alike. I went through hell, because I thought it was the best thing for the people I loved, but I was wrong. They hate me now," she sighed. "And Ruby's gonna hate you too, when you're done with your rampage. No matter what you try to do to make it right, she'll hate you."

"I know that," Cinder glared at her. "I _said_ I don't want your advice."

Raven shrugged and stole a sip from Cinder's glass. The pyromancer seethed silently, resisting the urge to attack her unwanted companion.

"You were down in the White Fang's underground. Nice place, huh?" Raven smiled bitterly. "Killed a lot of people down there."

"Yeah. Me too."

Cinder groaned and laid her head on the counter, half because of the alcohol, and half because of their miserable conversation.

Then a hand poked her on the shoulder, and she groggily looked up.

"Please don't kill me." Emerald said.

Cinder gritted her teeth and lunged at her. The two girls crashed to the ground, Cinder staring down at her ex-colleague furiously. She raised her right hand in a claw-like manner, intending to end Emerald then and there, but Raven gripped her by the wrist.

"Don't!" The Huntress said. "She might have information."

"Maybe," Cinder grunted, refusing to fully acknowledge her mistake. She narrowed her eyes and leaned down until she her face was hovering right above Emerald's. "Talk."

Emerald squirmed a bit, but soon realized she wouldn't be able to free herself. Even in her drunken state, Cinder was too strong to be overpowered.

"Look, you don't need to threaten me," Emerald said. "I want to help you."

"Of course, because the betrayal and burning your boyfriend's throat really brought us closer together," Cinder pointed out sarcastically. "Why would you ever want to help me?"

"Because Mira _killed_ Mercury."

Cinder paused, trying to judge if Emerald was being truthful. The thief did care about Mercury a great deal, even if he annoyed her constantly. And setting a trap like this would be incredibly stupid – Mira would be throwing a precious resource to certain death.

"I believe you," Cinder said, rising to her feet and helping Emerald up. "Where is Mira keeping Ruby?"

"On her chambers," Emerald told. "It's underground, outside the city limits. That's why you've not come close to finding it."

"How is she?" Cinder asked.

"She's an evil bitch, why would you care-"

"I meant Ruby."

Emerald's mouth formed a perfect 'o'. Raven slapped her own forehead and grinned.

"Ruby is…" Emerald bit her lower lip. "She's being tortured daily."

Cinder faltered. She had expected an answer like that, but hearing it still shook her.

"But she's taking it like a champ, if that's any comfort." Emerald spoke hesitantly.

"Yes, that's a bit comforting," Cinder said half-heartedly. "I'm not wasting a minute. Can you take me there?"

Emerald nodded.

"I'll come along," Raven said. "If you're going down this path, the least I can do is make sure you don't die along the way. And, hated or not, I care about Ruby."

"Thank you." Cinder smiled honestly to her.

Another hand fell on her shoulder, but this time Raven was ready to keep her from lunging at its owner. Qrow raised an eyebrow slowly, as if he were amused by the display before him.

"How long have you been here?" Raven asked confusedly.

"Ozpin tasked me with keeping watch over Cinder, in case she went extra crazy," Qrow explained briefly. "I'm coming too, and there's no argument in this Remnant that will stop me."

"Great. This is a party now!" Cinder protested. "Hey, Junior, wanna come too?!"  
The barkeeper squealed and hid under the counter.

"I thought so," the pyromancer said. "Let's go."

* * *

Mira sighed happily and took a step back, admiring the result of her latest _session_ with Ruby. The girl was practically limp against the table's leg, blood dirtying her at several spots of her body. One particular slash was flowing down to her left eye, covering half of her vision in red.

But still, Ruby hadn't given her any sign of what she wanted. That was why Mira had been so rough this time around. She couldn't stand that defiant look on her victim's face, as if she hadn't been tortured for a whole week, physically and mentally.

"You know," Ruby said suddenly. "If you want to die so badly, you could do it yourself."

She didn't mean it, of course, but she had to say it, just to test her theory. Ruby knew she was close to discovering why she was being tortured – all she needed was one last push in the right direction.

"I'm not suicidal, dear," Mira smiled. "Well, not in the traditional sense."

"So, you want to die, but only by my hand." Ruby stated.

"Ruby, Ruby… You could never kill me," the pyromancer chuckled and looked away, as if her mind was somewhere else. "No. You could come very, very close, until I stopped you. But you…" Her eyes narrowed angrily. "You're a naïve little girl. You don't have what it takes… I should just kill you."

Ruby froze, thinking she had pushed too hard. But then Mira looked at her and sighed unhappily.

"Let's wait until Cinder gets here, though," she said. "That should be enough."

Mira sat at the edge of her desk and patted her prisoner on the head. Ruby's eyes closed as she dreadfully connected the last dots of her theory.

* * *

They weren't surprised to discover the hideout was right on the edge of the Emerald Forest, hidden under a fake carpet of grass. Cinder, still a bit affected by the night's alcohol, took a dramatic approach and burned the carpet to ashes. Qrow wasn't happy at all.

They went down a hatch, which Emerald had informed them wouldn't lead directly to Mira's chambers, but to a small network of rooms with several floors. Mira would be in the lowest one.

Silently, they arrived at the highest floor and drew their weapons. Qrow was lifting his scythe with his right arm only, and the strain it put on him was obvious.

"You're being reckless." Raven said quietly as the group continued to move.

"Says the lone badass who got stabbed one week ago and is currently a bit drunk," Qrow quipped. "Just shut it, okay? I'm rescuing my niece."

"I'm not drunk." Raven frowned self-consciously.

Emerald led them to a set of stairs, then pointed downward.

"That should take us to her." She said.

"Where's everyone?" Qrow asked. "Isn't this a super-important base of operations?"

"Yes," Emerald gulped. "I-I don't know where everyone is. There's always some people here, like Adam."

Cinder stared at her suspiciously, and for a moment Emerald was sure she was going to kill her where she stood.

"It doesn't matter if this is a trick," Cinder shook her head. "They bit on more than can chew."

Just then, the sound of steel cutting through air reached their ears. Qrow ducked, narrowly avoiding the blade of Adam Taurus's sword. At the faunus's side was Argie, the boy who had stabbed Raven, and the psychic.

"Emerald, Emerald," Adam leered at his companion. "I did not expect this from you."

"Seems you have a nasty record of being betrayed." Emerald noted.

Adam dashed towards her, swinging his katana. Emerald snarled and blocked his attack. Raven went past them and engaged Argie, whose eyes were burning with hatred as he stared at her.

"Cinder, you go down there and rescue Ruby," Qrow said. "Brain-dude over there shouldn't be much of a fight, even for a cripple like me."

Cinder nodded and raced down the stairs, her steps echoing loudly until she arrived at the lowest floor, which was a lone hallway led to a set of double doors on its end. She marched straight towards them and pushed them open with both hands, her eyes flaring in anticipation.

Mira looked at her with a small smile, sitting at the edge of a metal table. One of her hands was gently flowing a finger in the air, making a trail of fire, while the other laid on top of Ruby's head.

The sight of the redhead made Cinder's fury fade temporarily. The blood, the bruises, the dead look on her eyes…

"Hello, dear," Mira said. "It's so very nice to-"

Cinder lunged at her, knocking her off the desk and against the wall behind her. Mira screamed hatefully and punched her on the face, making Cinder stumble back dazedly.

"Cinder!" Ruby yelled. "Don't kill her!"

Cinder ignored her and attacked again. Mira smirked and deflect her punch, then kneed her on the stomach. Cinder fell to her knees, breathless, as her mother walked leisurely towards her.

"So young. You think you're unbeatable," Mira said, leaning down to touch her on the chin. "But you're not. Not yet, at least. I can give you power, but you've got to earn it."

She kicked her daughter again, knocking her to the ground, then turned around and smiled to Ruby.

"You're clever," she said.

Mira retrieved something from her pocket, then lifted it on her left hand: Crescent Rose, down to its folded form. She threw it at Ruby mid-transformation, and the girl closer her eyes. Fortunately – or maybe as intended – the scythe missed her and cut through her chains, allowing her to stand up.

"But are you clever enough to kill me?" Mira taunted.

Ruby grunted, struggling to hold her weapon in her injured state. She looked between Mira and Cinder, a million thoughts running through her head.

Before she could come to a decision, Cinder jumped to her feet and scored a hit on Mira's cheek. The older pyromancer was caught off-guard and stumbled back. Cinder screamed furiously and released a barrage of fire at her, which blasted her through a wall and into another room.

"Cinder, don't!" Ruby repeated desperately.

Cinder looked back at her, eyes burning like fire.

"She hurt you." The raven-haired girl said.

"I don't care," Ruby pleaded. "She wants you to do it! I don't know why. Just don't do it!"  
Cinder seemed to consider her words for a moment, but just as quick she'd stopped, she turned to face Mira and ignited her palms threateningly.

"She dies today." She decided firmly.

She took a step towards her mother, who was smiling victoriously, but then her strength waned as something pierced through her right shoulder, and then her thighs, and her arms… Cinder blinked, then started to fall.

Ruby folded Crescent Rose and ran to catch her on her arms, tears forming on her eyes.

"You…" Cinder muttered confusedly. "You shot me, Ruby?"

Before the redhead could even try to start explaining her actions, Mira rose to her feet and yelled wordlessly. Fury, sorrow, and surprise mixed together to form a sound the likes of which Ruby had never heard before.

"YOU. ARE. _DEAD!_ " Mira shouted and lunged towards her.

Ruby gasped and ran from her reach, tapping on her Semblance and exiting the room. She could feel Mira right behind her, her heat impossibly high on Ruby's back. The redhead whimpered and jumped towards the stairs, struggling to go up the steps.

It was already hard to move, injured as she was, but she also had to carry Cinder and keep her Semblance up. Her vision was filled with black dots, and her head was dangerously light.

She reached the last floor and broke into a run, only faintly registering the presence of other people around her.

Adam turned to look at the stairs, felt the incoming heat, then took after Ruby, as if in fear of his own life. Argie followed him in a heartbeat, completely forgetting about his hatred for Raven.

Emerald hesitated, struggling between her desire to avenge Mercury and staying alive. She shook her head and ran away too.

"Was that Ruby?!" Qrow yelled.

"Yeah!" Raven replied. "Let's go!"  
Qrow kicked the psychic towards the stairs. Suddenly, Mira emerged at the last step, the air around her distorted by heat. Her mouth formed a snarl as she swung her right fist forward, tearing through the bald man violently.

"Holy shit." Qrow muttered, both amazed and disgusted by the display of raw power.

Mira turned towards him and clawed at his face. Qrow lifted his scythe, knocking her hand away, then spun clumsily to swing at her neck. Mira gripped the scythe's cable and ripped it away from him.

Time seemed to slow down for Raven as she watched the next seconds unfold. Mira spun the scythe in her grip so that it was facing the ground, then brought it up, slashing Qrow from hip to shoulder with his own weapon. The Huntsman's eyes widened as pain exploded across his system.

But Qrow didn't spend his last moments acknowledging his defeat. He jumped forward, crashing against Mira and reaching to grip her throat. The pyromancer stopped him mid-movement and slashed again, cutting off his good arm. She then let go of the scythe and pointed her palms at him. A barrage of fire enveloped him, turning him to ash almost instantly.

Raven stood still, gripping her katana in both hands. Her expression went from shock, to sorrow, then finally anger. Without a thought for her own safety, she closed the distance between herself and Mira and swung her sword.

The blade dug into Mira's right arm, and though it pained her, it didn't seem to do any significant damage. The pyromancer yelled and took the sword, then threw it away.

She punched Raven on the side of her head. Any other opponent would have died to that attack, but for Raven, it gave power. The Huntress's eyes were as red as Mira's as they exchanged blows.

Raven could tell Mira suffered greatly every time she scored a hit. It was one thing to withstand a weapon's cut, another was to be hit again and again by her own brute force, which only grew bigger as she herself was injured.

Still, their close proximity was taking its toll on Raven. Mira's body was like a gigantic furnace – even the metal walls around them were beginning to melt under her effect.

Mira scored one clean punch on her foe's forehead, and suddenly Raven's Semblance broke. Every hit she had taken during the fight echoed on her body, and now she could truly feel the heat. Helpless, she fell to her feet as Mira readied one final blow.

"Mira!"

The pyromancer looked up, then stumbled back as mini-explosions set off against her chest. Emerald appeared at the end of the hallway, pistols drawn and loaded.

She jumped over Raven with a scowl on her face.

"Either I die now with a shot at killing you, or wait until you find me," she said. "Come at me, bitch!"

Mira growled and lunged towards her, but Emerald shot her right in the face. The pyromancer reeled back, blood covering her eyes.

"I brought the big guns. I did want to kill you, _dear_ ," the green-haired thief smiled. "And just so you know… You're lousy in bed."

Emerald shot again, but this time Mira released a bout of fire in response. The flames collided with the explosive rounds in midair.

Raven's eyes widened as she realized what was about to happen. She threw herself as far away as possible and turned her back to the massive explosion that filled the hallway.

Mira's howls were the last thing she heard before the fire overtook her.

* * *

Ruby stopped, unceremoniously letting Cinder fall on the grass outside. She heard steps behind her and spun to face Adam Taurus. The faunus gave her a lasting stare, then ran off without saying a word.

The redhead fell to her knees, trembling and wavering. Cinder looked up at her in shock, taking in heavy breaths as blood poured out of her bullet wounds.

"C-Cinder," Ruby said. "I-I'm sorry! Do you have your Scroll?"

The pyromancer nodded weakly, managing to retrieve the phone and giving it to her. Ruby hurried through the saved contacts until she recognized a familiar name.

" _Cinder_?" Blake answered in a weak voice. " _Why are you calling me_?"

"Blake!" Ruby yelled in relief. "You're alive!"

" _Ruby?!_ "

Ruby winced as she heard a lot of yelling, furniture breaking, and general chaos going on at the other end of the line. Then someone else picked up the Scroll and spoke.

" _Sis_?"

"Yang!" Ruby smiled. "I'm okay. I need you to-"

An explosion sounded behind her, interrupting her and making it impossible to hear whatever Yang was saying. Ruby let the Scroll fall as she looked at the fire rising up to the sky from the hatch.

"U-Uncle…"

Cinder picked up the Scroll and put it to her ear, just as she struggled to wrap an arm around Ruby.

" _Sis?!_ " Yang called desperately. " _Are you okay?_ "

"She's alive," Cinder replied. "But she's hurt. Get here fast."

" _Okay! But what about you? You sound hurt too!_ "

"…She kinda shot me."

A moment of silence passed between them before Yang spoke again.

" _Weiss went to speak with Ozpin_ ," she said. " _Cinder_?"

"Yeah?"

" _…What was that explosion_?"

* * *

 **...**

 **Man, this feels like old _CoS_ times, when characters got killed all the time. That was fun, right, guys? ...Guys?**

 **By the way, I was so drained by the end of this chapter, I decided to spellcheck it later. So, if you find any nasty errors... Here's hoping there aren't typos in important places. (I just jynxed myself, didn't I?)**

 **TIME FOR SHAMELESS PLUGGING! I've got a new story going on now, called _Of Vale Blood_. It's a cool little adventure set in a victorian-themed Vale. Weiss is a princess... Blake's an escaped slave... And Yang is some sort of werewolf? I DUNNO MAN YOU GOTTA READ IT TO FIND OUT. (pls read it pls)**

 **Kiiiiilllll-me-sized thanks to everyone who reviewed, followed and favorited _Falling Roses Burn Brighter_!**

 **-Zeroan**


	24. Escape your fate

_Cinder's eyes opened to utter darkness. She could feel a soft mattress below her and the gentle touch of silk on her skin. She felt strangely light, in a good way, as if she had been born all over again._

 _At first, she was relieved by the sensation, but that was quickly substituted by confusion and horror as she realized she should not be feeling that way. She had fought her mother and gotten shot several times by Ruby._

 _As if in response to her thoughts, a red figure became visible in the corner of the dark room. Slowly, a pale face appeared above the blood-colored cloak, with eyes fixed on the floor._

 _"Ruby?" Cinder called, a smile forming between her lips. "You're okay…"_

 _Seconds ticked by without a response. Cinder's smile faltered and a sense of dread overwhelmed her like a tidal wave._

 _Suddenly, Ruby was beside the bed. Her head rose slowly until her silver eyes stared right into Cinder's._

 _"You should have died."_

 _Cinder felt like she was falling through space, everything she was fading to the void. She faintly noticed blood pouring down her body from her shoulders, arms, legs… Everywhere she had been shot._

 _Ruby leaned closer, her nose hovering a hair's width from Cinder's._

 _"I hate you."_

* * *

Ozpin entered the school infirmary with a somber look on his face. One look towards the nurses had them scurrying away to a side room – they had witnessed enough the past months to know when the headmaster needed privacy with their patients.

Cinder Fall's sleep seemed anything but peaceful. Her face was a mask of not only pain and restlessness, but most of all, terror. Whatever she was dreaming about, it certainly wasn't good. But her wounds had been taken care of with swiftness and expertise, and her strong Aura still worked hard to heal her. She was in no danger of dying.

He moved on to the next bed and grimaced. He had never met Mira before, but seeing what she had done to Ruby Rose made him hate her with a passion. Every wound had been dealt with utmost precision, causing as much pain as possible without killing.

Still, her sleep was the polar opposite of Cinder's. There was the hint of a smile on the curve of her lips, and her breathing filled the room in a steady rhythm.

He almost wished she wouldn't wake up.

After a few minutes, the redhead stirred and opened her eyes. She looked at the headmaster and the infirmary in confusion, her brow furrowing in a way that was borderline comical. Then she seemed to understand her situation and she looked down at her body, shoulders shaking.

"Ruby," Ozpin said. He rarely called his students by their first name. He was hoping it would sooth her at least a little bit. "You've been unconscious for two days now, but you're recovering fast. You can thank your Aura for that."

She looked up at him, but the information seemed to have no positive effect.

"Cinder is also fine. She is healing even faster than you – which I find quite surprising – though she hasn't awakened yet," the headmaster continued. "I suspect she'll be up and walking as soon as her eyes open."

"That's good," Ruby mumbled. "What about…?"

Ozpin smiled comfortingly. She didn't need to finish the question. He knew exactly what she wanted to say.

"In the aftermath of your rescue, Adam Taurus and Argie escaped," he said, cursing himself mentally for postponing the inevitable. He was usually much better at delivering bad news. "We couldn't locate your uncle and Raven, as well as Emerald Sustrai. They are presumed dead."

Ruby closed her eyes, tears sliding down her cheeks silently. Ozpin laid a hand on her shoulder.

"It will be alright, Ruby. You'll get through this," he said, though he knew nothing he could say would actually help. "I invited you to my school early because I know you are strong, and these past weeks have done nothing prove that."

She sobbed loudly, and Ozpin stepped away, deciding to stop before he turned the situation from bad to worse.

Ozpin had a long list of regrets, but the entirety of his dealing with Mira Fall and the White Fang had quickly risen to the top. He knew every bad thing that had happened – Ruby's kidnapping, Cinder's killing spree, Qrow and Raven's deaths – had been his fault alone. He might have not been there in person, or decisions might have taken behind his back, but his orders had taken all of them down a terrible path.

He couldn't help but wonder if he had walked past an obviously better fork along the way.

Suddenly, he felt a presence beside him. He steeled the grip on his cane in instinct and turned to face whoever it was, but to his surprise, it was only Cinder. She was standing effortlessly to his right, eyes fixed on Ruby with compassion.

She didn't bother looking at him. Instead, she quietly walked closer to the bed and climbed on top of it, then embraced Ruby and put the young girl's head above her own shoulder.

"Shh…" Cinder whispered. "It's okay… It's okay…"

Ruby's sobbing grew quieter over the next seconds, until there was no evidence of her sadness but the tears streaming down her face and the way she hugged Cinder in return. The pyromancer smiled faintly, and to Ozpin's intrigue, let loose a few tears of her own.

Ozpin hesitated, two sides of him struggling on how to react to the situation. His responsible side, the one who was a headmaster and took the hard decisions, knew it was better to separate the two. Whatever comfort they found now would be nothing compared to the storm that would emerge out of it later.

The other side, the one who had seen too much misery over too little time, wanted to leave as if he had never been there, to allow them to be together for as long as they needed. He wanted to walk out of the infirmary, find a secluded space, and break down too.

After a long bout of consideration, he spun and left the infirmary, all the while fighting with himself not to turn back and pretend he had taken another approach from the very beginning.

Sometimes the easy road is the hardest one to take.

* * *

The sun bore down heatedly on Yang as she paced around the perimeter of Mira's base, or what was left of it. It was the only thing she could do to hold back her emotions. She knew as soon as she stopped moving, the tears would come flooding back, and she would have no control over them.

Her father was watching nearby, his method of coping the exact opposite of hers. Taiyang's arms we crossed and his eyes were fixed on the ruined metal hatch, as if he could open a path through it with willpower alone. He hadn't succeeded yet.

Even Glynda, who had virtually no investment towards the effort, was frustrated. She had spent most of yesterday trying to devise a way for them to delve into the lair with her telekinetic abilities, but it had been to no avail. This day had held no result as well, no matter how hard she tried.

"I'm sorry," she said suddenly, lowering her wand. She wasn't accustomed to admitting defeat, much less to something that wasn't even a living opponent. "I can't get inside, at least not without risking damaging the bodies."

" _If_ there are bodies!" Yang exclaimed sharply, but it was clear she held no resolve to her words.

"Yes. If there are bodies," Glynda agreed tiredly. "I could try brute force, but that is a last resort."

Yang was about to give her consent, but her father gripped by the shoulders, forcing her to halt on her tracks.

"Yang, dear. I know you want them to be alive, and believe me, I want that too," Taiyang said with strain in his voice. "But we both know that's as farfetched a possibility as they come. If your mother was alive, she would have found a way out already. She's got your Semblance, remember? You think you couldn't tear through some metal walls if you needed to?"

Yang stared at him, her lips trembling. She looked away, tears brimming on her eyelids.

"Y-yeah. She's got my Semblance. You're right, dad," she said, then looked at Glynda. "Miss Goodwitch, you don't need to do anything else. Thank you for trying. We'll need to find another way to get the… _bodies_ …"

As soon as that final word left her mouth, she crumbled on his hold, burying her head between his neck and his shoulder. Taiyang closed his eyes so he wouldn't cry, trying to be as strong as she needed him to be.

Glynda was frozen where she stood, feeling awful about not being able to give the family any closure. She was famous for her straight, no-bullshit attitude, but that didn't not mean in the slightest she didn't care for other people's feelings. Besides, she might have not exactly liked either of the Branwen siblings, but they had earned her respect. To delay their funeral was a tragedy all on its own.

She was almost glad, then, when her Scroll started to beep loudly. She looked down and saw Ozpin was calling her. Glynda shuddered. The headmaster calling her on her personal telephone? That never indicated good news.

Something about his voice seemed off as he informed her that both Ruby Rose and Cinder Fall had awakened. When she questioned him about it, he ignored it and said she should tell Taiyang and his daughter as soon as possible. Then, before even a minute had passed, he ended the call.

"I have good news," she spoke dryly. "Ruby has woken up…"

"Yes!" Yang exclaimed, relief briefly breaking through her sadness.

"And so has Cinder." Glynda finished.

"…Lesser yes."

Taiyang ruffled his daughter's hair and smiled humorlessly.

"Well, then," he said. "I guess a visit's in order. I can finally evaluate this Cinder…"

"You already met her." Yang pointed out.

"Correct, _but_ … That was before I knew she was a psychopath."

Yang shrugged.

"I wish I had known that too."

* * *

"Hey, Ruby. Guess what I have here?" Cinder asked as she entered the infirmary again. "Cookies, and chocolate ones at that."

The redhead looked up from where she sat on her bed and gave her a weak smile. An hour had passed before Ruby managed to calm down completely, and Cinder had taken upon herself to find food and water for her. She knew cookies were not a real solution at all, but Ruby might as well have her favorite food than anything else.

"Thanks," Ruby said as she took the plate. "You don't have to do this, you know? I'm sure Yang and my dad would be more than happy to take care of me."

"I know. Consider this repayment for taking care of me before," Cinder smiled. "Besides, your family will be here any second now, and _then_ I won't be able to come ten meters close to you… Not that you would want me to, anyway."

Ruby ate one of the cookies silently. It hurt to do that, so much that she grimaced and spit half of it back to the plate.

"Maybe we should cut these to fractions," Cinder suggested hesitantly. "Or I could melt them a bit. Liquid cookies can't be that bad."

"It does sound tasty," Ruby agreed. "Cinder, why would I want you to stay away? I mean, you rescued me. That's a good thing."

"It's… complicated," the pyromancer shook her head. "We'll talk about it after… When you are ready to."

Ruby opened her mouth to say she _was_ ready, but suddenly the infirmary was invaded by her father and sister, who immediately rushed to her side and hugged her. Cinder acted quickly and took the plate of cookies before it could be flown through the air, then diverted her eyes politely and tried to find a way to make the cookies more edible.

"Oh, sweetheart," Taiyang whispered. "I'm so glad you're here."

" _Dad_!" Ruby protested, more than a little embarrassed. "You're gonna crush me!"

"Sorry!" Her father took a step back. "You're okay, right? Physically. Damn, what did that woman do to you…"

Ruby shrugged and moved her arms to show she was doing fine. Truthfully, she wasn't, but she didn't want her father to worry too much about her.

"We brought a friend," Yang said helpfully. "Wait… Where is he…? Zwei!"

They turned to find the dog sitting beside Cinder on her bed, eyeing the plate of cookies hungrily. Both him and the pyromancer seemed very territorial about the food.

"Zwei!" Yang scolded. "Stop asking for cookies and come see Ruby!"

The dog finally seemed to notice his redhead owner on the other bed, and in the blink of an eye, he was lying by her side like a ball. Ruby smiled and petted him on head, much to his joy.

"Thanks," she said to her sister and her father. "So… Uncle…"

"Yeah," Yang looked away. "My mother too."

"We're working on retrieving their bodies, but it's been difficult to find a safe way inside that damned hatch," Taiyang said. "I'm afraid their funeral will be delayed."

"What's in the way?" Cinder piped up helpfully.

Taiyang turned to look at her, every paternal instinct in him coming alive at once. If Ruby hadn't been there and their situation weren't so bleak already, he would have taken Cinder away for a very throughout and harsh questioning.

"When the explosion happened, it must have damaged some of the hatch's support beams, particularly in the entrance," he explained. "There's tons of metal standing between us and _them_."

"I could melt through them." Cinder pointed out.

"Aren't you tired? And injured?" Yang raised an eyebrow confusedly. "You know, from when Ruby… shot… you…"

A moment of silence passed before Cinder cleared her throat.

"I'm good to go," she said. "And happy to. If I can do anything to help you three, I'll do it."

"Oh, well, that earns her a point or two," Taiyang mumbled. He then straightened his posture, as if he hadn't meant to say that out loud and hoped no one had heard it. "Let's go, then. You'll stay with your sister, Yang?"

"Yeah," Yang nodded. "Good luck."

Cinder and Taiyang left the infirmary, leaving behind the siblings and their dog.

After a week of missing his owner, Zwei seemed content to just sleep next to her, his snoring filling the room rather loudly. It brought a smile to Yang's face, in spite of their terrible situation.

"You lied to dad, right?" She asked softly. "You're not _that_ okay."

"Don't tell him." Ruby pleaded shortly, rubbing her arms self-consciously.

"Alright, but I'll have my eyes on you, and I'll hire Weiss and Blake's too. Hell, I'll even bring Cinder in for the job," Yang said. "Seriously, don't do anything stupid that'll get you hurt. I've had enough bad stuff happen to me for a lifetime."

Ruby nodded. Yang looked at the plate of cookies Cinder had left behind and picked it up.

"You're not gonna eat these?" The blonde asked in disbelief.

"I want to, but it hurts," Ruby explained. "Cinder was gonna melt them."

"Well, I can't do that," Yang frowned. "Wait, I got an idea."

Much to Ruby's fright, Yang slammed her fist down on the cookies, shattering them into hundreds of pieces. The redhead took the plate with a desolate look on her face.

"That was… horrible."

"You know what they say," Yang shrugged. "Sometimes all you need is some tough love."

* * *

"So," Taiyang said casually as he and Cinder neared the hatch. "You dated my daughter."

The pyromancer kept her eyes fixed on the metal wreckage. She wasn't afraid of many things, but just being in Taiyang's presence unnerved them to no end. Not that she would admit it to anyone – she was sure Yang wouldn't let her hear the end of it if she found out.

"Yes, sir." She managed to say after a while.

"I see," Taiyang said. "You also infiltrated Beacon so you could learn its students' weaknesses in alignment with the White Fang."

"Yes, sir."

" _And_ your mother kidnapped my daughter and killed my best friend and my ex-wife."

"Well, she was my _adoptive_ mother, technically, and even that's a stretch," Cinder pointed out. "But yes, sir."

Taiyang huffed heavily, mulling over what to do with this enigmatic specimen Ruby had fallen in love with.

"I won't pretend to like you, but I can't dislike you either. I only know you from what other people have said to me," he noted. "So I'm giving you a chance."

"I… appreciate that, but-" Cinder began to say, only to be interrupted.

"You _should_ appreciate it!" Taiyang exclaimed. "Do you know how much time I spent planning what I would do to the first boy Ruby showed up at my house with? Oh, the terrors I would unleash upon him," he shrugged. "I had no idea it would be a girl. And you seem to care a lot about her, so I won't execute my plans on you."

"Thank you," the pyromancer smiled sadly. "But you won't have to worry about me. Ruby deserves someone much better than me, so I won't be…"

She shook her head and focused her attention on the hatch. Unless it was made of some rare ultra-resistant metal, she would have no difficulty melting a path through it. She produced two flames on her palms, then circled the opening, trying to calculate the best angle to start with.

"What do you mean?" Taiyang asked worriedly. "You don't want to be with Ruby?"

"Sir, there's something I want more in the world," Cinder said. She slapped herself mentally, thinking that might not be the best way to present the notion to Ruby's _father_. "But as you said, too much bad stuff has happened because of me. And, frankly, I don't know what I would do around here. I'm leaving as soon as Ruby gets better."

Taiyang nodded. He despised the idea that his youngest daughter would have to deal with that, on top of all things, but he saw the sense in Cinder's words. And if Cinder wanted to leave, to forge a better life for herself, away from the mistakes of her past, who were any of them to stop her?

"Okay, I think this angle should be good," Cinder said. "You might want to take a step back, sir."

"Stop calling me sir." He demanded as he followed her advice.

"Sorry," she smiled faintly. "I won't do it again, Mister Xiao Long."

His face soured. Well, if she was going to be that much of a smartass, he wasn't that sad to see her leave.

Cinder thrust her hands towards the ground, releasing two condensed barrages of fire at the wreckage. After a few seconds of that, the flames started to tear through the metal. Five minutes later, they were staring at a huge hole leading into darkness.

"Damn, girl," Taiyang whistled. "You're powerful."

"I wish I wasn't," Cinder muttered bitterly as she neared the hole. "I'm going in."

"You know, being gloomy never helped anybody."

Cinder rolled her eyes and jumped down the hole. A few seconds of falling ensued before she finally landed on the floor. She looked up and saw Taiyang peering down at her from above.

"You don't have to jump if you don't want to!" She shouted.

"Like hell I don't want to!" Taiyang scowled. "I'm a Huntsman too, damnit!"

Without warning, he jumped down the hole. Cinder had a split second to move out of the way before he fell where she had been standing. Unfortunately, his landing was not as graceful as hers.

"Uuugh… _Damn_ … This is gonna hurt even worse later…" He said, rubbing his behinds.

"You're a good Huntsman, Mister Xiao Long." Cinder quipped humorously, receiving a fierce glare in response.

She turned to look at what was behind them; a mess of fallen metal and debris, blocking off the rest of the hallway. Cinder went to work again, melting a path through the obstacle, Taiyang following close behind.

They emerged on the other side of the wreckage and noticed that area didn't seem nearly as bad as what they had seen beforehand. Taiyang had been right about the assessment of the place – the explosion had indeed primarily damaged the entrance of the hatch, and left the rest intact.

"They were on the top floor, as I recall," Cinder said quietly. "Which is here, by the way. It shouldn't be hard to find them."

The two walked along the hallway with a sense of dread, Cinder maintaining a small flame to give them some light. Before long, she paused and crouched down, finding a familiar corpse collapsed against a wall.

"Emerald," she muttered. "Shit… What _happened_ to her?"

Taiyang looked at the body, trying to determine what Cinder found so haunting about it. Her back was charred black, but that was to be expected – she must have turned away from the explosion at the last second, but that hadn't been enough to save her.

He frowned when he noticed that there was _indeed_ something strange about the corpse. Emerald's neck was wrinkled and gray, which couldn't be related to the explosion at all.

"What is _that_?" He whispered.

"Want my best theory?" Cinder asked rhetorically. "She got too close to Mira. Even if Emerald had betrayed her, in that moment, Mira held no distinction between ally and foe."

"That's horrible," Taiyang said. "I'm sorry for bringing up your relation before."

"Don't worry about it," she shook her head. "You wouldn't mind if I brought her body too, right?"

"Of course not," he said. "She might have been at the enemy's side most of the time, but that doesn't mean she doesn't deserve a proper burial. We're not savages."

Cinder nodded and lifted Emerald in her arms. Before Cinder switched sides – before everything – they had gotten along rather well. Her old self would never have said it, but Cinder had even considered her a friend. It seemed unfair and cruel that Emerald hadn't gotten a second chance like she had.

"Okay, let's move on," Cinder said, surprised at how difficult it was to speak again. "They can't be too far ahead."

"Right," Taiyang nodded, starting to walk. "We need to find them. My daughters would be heartbroken if they couldn't say farewell to their uncle," he closed his eyes. "And Raven… The last time we talked, I pushed her away. Not only that, I practically _forbade_ her to see her own daughter."

"You were doing what you thought was right for Yang," Cinder pointed out softly. "But you could have been nicer."

"Well, aren't you the most helpful-"

Suddenly, he was sent crashing against the wall to their left by a punch to the cheek. Cinder almost dropped Emerald's body as she turned to face the attacker, expecting to see Mira – but to her surprise, it was no one but Raven, breathing heavily with her clothes torn and right fist outstretched.

"Raven?!" Cinder exclaimed in disbelief. "You survived?"

Raven blinked, seeming to only then notice who she had just attacked. She rushed to Taiyang's side and covered her mouth with her hands.

"I'm so sorry," she said. "I thought… I thought you were _her_."

"Well, because I'm so womanly-looking!" Taiyang roared. He stared at her face, his anger visibly draining away in a matter of seconds. "You're alive. By Remnant, you're alive!"

He hugged her and laughed hoarsely, and she did the same. Cinder stared with a smile on her face, before she realized something with much confusion.

" _Her_?" She repeated. "You mean Mira?"

"Yes," Raven said hauntingly. "She's still alive. She survived and she finished Emerald off."

Cinder laid Emerald down on the floor and took off running through the rest of the hallway. Her heart beat fast with terror and excitement – if her mother was alive, they were still in danger, but it also meant she would get to kill her at last.

At the very end of the hallway was a metal wall with a huge hole on it. Cinder approached it with disbelief, then looked up – the hole went on and on upwards, like a tunnel, forming a passage to the surface. Without hesitating, Cinder jumped and ran up the tunnel.

She emerged in the Emerald Forest and looked around like a madwoman, expecting to see her mother ready to attack. But there was no one there, and no sign of her presence.

Cinder turned and slid back down to the secret base. She found Taiyang and Raven where she had left them.

"She's gone," Cinder's voice was void of emotion. "She made a tunnel."

"A tunnel? To where?" Raven asked confusedly.

"To the Emerald Forest."

"The Emerald Forest?!" Taiyang repeated in disbelief. "She made a tunnel to the-"

"Did you find my brother?" Raven interrupted.

Cinder shook her head slowly.

"Oh," Raven looked at her lap sadly. "That was as stretch, anyway. He tried to kill Mira, but… she turned him to ashes. I doubt even that remains after that explosion."

Taiyang's fists clenched as he took in the full meaning of the news. It was too cruel a fate, something you heard only in stories. Qrow had done nothing but the best for his family, and his reward had been to be swept away. Not even his ashes could be preserved now.

Cinder looked away. Mira Fall. A monster escaped unscathed and no doubt planning her next move to bring more misery. It had been going on for too long, so much Cinder was tired of the hatred she should be nurturing even now. She just wanted it to be over.

"There's nothing left for us here, then," she said weakly. "Raven, can you walk?"

"Yeah, I can-"

"I'll carry you." Taiyang interrupted and took her in his arms. Raven seemed halfway between embarrassed and grateful.

"Right," Cinder sighed and picked up Emerald's body. "Let's go back."

* * *

Glynda poker her head inside Ozpin's office, her expression unusually guarded. The room was empty, with the light of nearing dusk pouring through the windows. The headmaster's chair, unoccupied, as if it belonged to a ghost.

"Ozpin?" She entered the office cautiously. "Are you here?"

She hadn't seen him for the last three hours, which usually wouldn't worry her _too_ much. But considering everything that was going, from close friends being murdered and students almost so, Glynda would feel much better with him always in her sight.

She moved to a side room, the one that Ozpin was _supposed_ to sleep in. She scolded him nearly daily for not going to bed, instead only taking light naps at his desk, of all places. It was unacceptable behavior for a role model, and not healthy to boot.

Surprisingly, it was there she found him, sitting at the edge of his bed, staring down an old photo. Glynda couldn't contain her curiosity and sneaked a peek at it. It only made her feel even worse.

Summer Rose, Taiyang Xiao Long, Raven Branwen, Qrow Branwen. It felt like that picture had been taken centuries ago.

"Ozpin," she said softly. "They're expecting you at the funeral. It starts in half an hour."

"Tell them I won't come." He said, and she noticed with horror that his voice was slurred, as if he had been drinking.

"You can't just not come, Ozpin!" She scolded. "You are the headmaster, our-"

" _Exactly_! What right do _I_ have of mourning them?!" He exclaimed. "I caused their deaths. All the mistakes… Everything… It's all on me…"

Glynda took a step back, as if she had been slapped in the face. Never before had she seen and heard the headmaster in such a terrible state. For the first time in years, she didn't know what to do.

"Ozpin…" She said tentatively. "You can't blame yourself. Qrow was a Huntsman. He knew the risks and he accepted them."

"It doesn't change anything," Ozpin shook his head. "If that's how it is… I don't want _any_ of this anymore. Five years from now, when those girls are Huntresses too… What decision am _I_ going make that'll get them killed?"

"None," Glynda replied resolutely. "We don't obey you because you're a dictator, because we have no choice… We obey, no, we _listen_ to you because you're wise, Ozpin. You are an amazing leader, but that doesn't mean you don't make mistakes," she sat beside him and laid a hand on his knee. "It means you make mistakes, but you don't let them defeat you. You don't stop trying – you keep moving forward."

Ozpin was silent for a full minute, his eyes fixed on the picture in his hands. Slowly, he set it down on his bed stand, then looked at Glynda with an amused smile on his lips.

"You know, if I was fifty percent more drunk and not so terrified of the consequences, I'd attempt to initiate passionate sexual intercourse with you." He said.

"O-Opzin! You _are_ drunk," Glynda rubbed her arms and looked away. "And we have a funeral to attend."

"Oh, right," he frowned. "Well, good thing I'm not fifty percent more drunk."

She got up from the bed blushing and cleared her throat, then left the room in a fairly rigid march. Ozpin followed her, his steps a bit too wobbly for a man of his position.

* * *

Glynda had arranged a corner of the school grounds to be cleared and made private for the duration of the funeral. A hole had already been dug in the ground, right underneath the shade of a verdant tree.

The sun was setting when everyone got there. Yang was more than happy to see Raven alive and breathing, and for the first time, she saw her parents together, with no hint of animosity between them.

After much arguing, Ruby managed to convince them to take her to the funeral without an infirmary bed. Weiss and Blake learned how difficult it was to carry a hyperactive girl to her uncle's funeral.

When Ozpin arrived, nobody noticed anything out of the usual, though Raven did catch a glimpse of Glynda's blushing cheeks when he stood by her side.

Cinder was the one who brought Emerald's body, her face solemn as she laid her down on her resting place. When she stood again, her face was strangely emotional – not wild, like most of them had grown accustomed to, but like a normal person's dealing with newly-discovered feelings.

They took turns covering the hole in dirt. Minutes later, Ozpin crouched down and stuck a cross on the soft soil.

 _EMERALD SUSTRAI_.

Ruby insisted on fixing her uncle's cross. She almost collapsed as she did, tears flooding her eyes. Yang had to drag her away before she broke down.

 _QROW BRANWEN_.

"I'm sorry this happened," Ozpin spoke. "I cannot lie to myself or any of you – I have a lot of blame to shoulder for recent events. Life is one long road with too many forks to count, and you have entrusted me with deciding which ones to take. We cannot go back – I cannot go back – but we can learn from the steps we already have taken."

Everyone nodded respectfully, then Raven took a step forward.

"I spent seventeen years of my life away from my family. I did it for someone I loved, and for that reason, I do not regret that decision," she said. "If it weren't for Qrow, however, I might regret it. I might have been even less of myself in this moment, if that's possible. He was there for me, always. I can only wish him a well-earned good rest."

She turned back and hugged her daughter. After a few moments, Taiyang embraced them both, much to Raven's delight. For now, there was an understanding, an unbreakable bond between the three of them.

Cinder stared at Emerald's cross, her fists clenched and eyes wavering uncertainly.

"I… I didn't know her very well," she said. "She was… a good thief, I guess. There's so much I never asked her. Did she have siblings? What about her parents? Any dreams or aspirations?" She paused. "It makes me think… If things were different, I might be the one on that grave, and nobody would have anything to say about me too."

"She was a good psychopath…?" Yang suggested jokingly.

Cinder smiled bitterly.

"Mira is still out there. Who knows what insane scheme she will try to pull next?" She shook her head. "I'm not going to waste my life chasing her shadow. Let her come. When she does, I'll be here to finish all of this."

Everyone muttered their agreement, even Ozpin. They paid their respects silently for a few more minutes, then slowly started to walk away, until only Cinder and Ruby were left staring at the graves.

"Are you going to kill her?" Ruby asked suddenly.

Cinder faltered. She knew why the question was asked, and she knew her answer would be ill-received. But it was the truth, and she wasn't about to start lying again.

"Yes," she said. "I'm going to kill her."

"Good," Ruby smiled. "She killed my uncle. Let her come."

Cinder's heart skipped a beat as she turned to look at Ruby. She almost expected to find a monster in her place, to make her realize it was all a nightmare, but no – there was that youthful face and shining silver eyes Cinder had grown attached to so long ago.

"Can you take me back to my room?" Ruby asked, as if nothing was wrong. "I really don't wanna sleep in the infirmary tonight."

"S-sure," Cinder stuttered. Her distress must have carried to her appearance, because suddenly Ruby looked very concerned.

"You okay?"

"Yeah," Cinder said dryly. "It's just… The funeral. I've never attended one before. I guess it got to me."

"Aw, that is so cuuuuuute!" Ruby gushed excitedly.

Cinder smiled at the reaction, but inside she was even more distressed. This was wrong.

So, so _wrong_.

* * *

 **Next chapter, Ruby adopts her Blood Rose persona. Confirmed. Just you wait.  
**

 **We're getting pretty close to the end. I expect this story to be over by the end of this year. Hell, maybe the last chapter will be posted on the last week of 2015, that would be neat. (BTW, I love you guys. I feel like I don't say that enough.)**

 **I'd like to be an asshole and once again plug _Of Vale Blood_. It's neat. We want your readership there.**

 **Also, I've run out of S. S. Falling Petals humor. The main purpose of that bit was making jokes about people not figuring out the chapter titles. Now it just feels _meh_ to me. Sorry.**

 **Sexy-Ozpin-sized thanks to everyone who reviewed, followed and favorited _Falling Roses Burn Brighter_!**

 **-Zeroan**


	25. Revealed by mirrored eyes

The sound of pencil on paper filled the otherwise quiet dormitory, their habitants all engaged in their own silent activities. Blake was, like always, lying on her bed reading a new novel, while Weiss did her homework by her side. Ruby was tinkering with her scythe once again – though this time it seemed nothing potentially lethal would be happening to her teammates.

This left Yang, sat on top of her bed with nothing to do but stare at her friends.

"Can you stop that?" She asked suddenly.

"But-"

"Not you, Ruby!" Yang shook her head. "Weiss, how can you be _studying_ while we are endangered by a pyromaniac psychopath driven by vengeance and madness?"

Weiss put down her notebook whilst she frowned.

"Because once Mira's defeated, we will still have three years of school until we graduate." She noted.

"But that's just… boring," Yang huffed. " _You're_ boring."

"Hey!" Weiss protested. "I'm not boring! I can _super_ fun! Right, Ruby?"

All of a sudden, the redhead seemed to be a hundred times more interested in her weapon – if that was even possible.

"Blake?" Weiss pleaded. "Tell them I'm fun."

"Weiss is fun." Blake said, not tearing her eyes away from her book.

"Ahah!" The heiress exclaimed triumphantly.

"You know, for someone so smart, you get tricked pretty easily, Weiss," Yang pointed out. "Blake obviously only said that because she doesn't want to lose girlfriend privileges."

"Not true," Weiss shook her head, then looked at Blake. "You wouldn't lie about that, would you?"

"No, I wouldn't." The faunus replied automatically, which made Weiss smile widely and return to her studies.

Ruby shuddered a bit on her bed. Weiss's control over Blake had grown so much, it was almost scary to behold. She made a promise to herself to never allow any relationships of hers to have a dynamic like that.

"So, Ruby," Yang spoke casually – too casually. Ruby knew that tone of voice, and it never bode well for her. "Got any Cinder-y plans?"

If Ruby had been drinking anything, she'd have spit it all out at that moment.

" _What_?!" She exclaimed.

"I mean, are you going for that booty?" Yang rephrased innocently.

"That's- Uh… Uh…"

After a few seconds of incomprehensible mumbling, Ruby resorted to the only safe way out of this conversation, and that was jumping to the floor and running away from the room, even going so far as to activate her Semblance.

"Oh, she's totally going for that booty." Yang giggled.

Weiss shook her head slowly.

"First thing: that is just extremely inappropriate, especially since she is your little sister," she admonished. "Second thing: since when have you been comfortable with the notion of her and Cinder being together?"

"I'll never be comfortable with that notion," Yang said. "But I'm giving them some breathing space. First sign of trouble, Cinder gets a mean kick in the butt."

"Hmm. That is a Yang-like response," Weiss muttered, as if she found comfort in the fact. "I suppose Cinder deserves a chance. What do you think, Blake?"

The faunus blinked and looked at her girlfriend.

"What was it?" She asked confusedly.

"I asked you about your thoughts on Cinder and Ruby." Weiss clarified.

"Ah," Blake paused. "What do you _want_ me to think?"

The heiress's eyes straightened with suspicion, just as Yang smiled knowingly.

* * *

Raven's days had changed, but she had yet to decide if it had been for better or worse.

Taiyang was much more approachable now. When they talked, he would sometimes laugh and smile at her words. There was still a lot of heavy, unspoken feelings between them, but she could now hope that they would stay that way – unspoken -, and disappear with time. That their relationship could be fully repaired was doubtful, but Raven was happy to just be his friend.

With that issue lessened, spending time with Yang became much easier. It was a joy to see and speak with her on a daily basis, each time learning more and more about her. Raven had made her peace with the fact that she'd missed so much of her daughter's life, and now only wanted to catch up and make memories they could one day remember together.

But there was something wrong, a fear in the back of her head that grew more with each conversation they shared. Raven could see it in Yang's eyes, in the way she'd look at her fondest friends, the strange twist she'd put to some words. Reuniting with her mother, learning who she had become, and losing – or almost losing – her closest relatives had taken a toll on her.

Raven could see it plain as day. She could see herself in her daughter, now more than ever. Sometimes, she would find herself wishing she had never revealed herself. Maybe then, Yang would have stayed the same cheerful, carefree girl she had always been.

But the past is the past, unchangeable and filled with regrets. All that she could do now was forge a new path ahead, giving Yang all the support and love she needed.

Before that, there was one last step she had to take to end this damned transition in her life. Mira was still out there, and every second she spent alive was a second Raven's family was in danger. She needed to be taken care of. Luckily, Raven wasn't the only one to know that.

She was heading for Beacon's gym to meet with Cinder when she had to take an unexpected break. Three hallways or so from it, she found Ruby leaning against a wall, taking in heavy breaths and holding a hand against her stomach.

"Ruby?" Raven hurried to her side. "What happened?"

"I made a bad decision," Ruby confessed embarrassedly. "I thought I was a hundred percent fine, but I'm not. Yang said something about… booty, and I ran away."

"…Booty?" The Huntress repeated, thinking she had misheard that word.

"Uh… It's a long story."

Raven shook her head and decided to not question the young girl further. Without asking for permission, she started to poke and examined different parts of Ruby's body, searching for any possible reopened wounds. The redhead opened her mouth to complain, but no words left it.

Without willing to, she closed her eyes and let Raven continue checking on her. Something about the moment was familiar, like this had happened to her once before, long, long ago. Ruby smiled lightly, not thinking of anything in particular.

When it was done, Ruby opened her eyes and was momentarily confused by the sight of Raven.

"You're fine," Raven asserted. She paused, taking a look at Ruby's face. "I think. Is there something wrong?"

"No. It's just…" Ruby frowned. "I guess you kinda reminded me of my mom."

"Ah," the Huntress looked away. "I'm sorry. I was out of line."

"No, it's okay. It was nice."

Ruby smiled sweetly to her. Raven was hit with a wave of emotion. It wasn't the first time that had happened while she looked at Ruby, but it felt like it – like she was looking at _Ruby_ , and not a shadow of her deceased best friend.

"I know I have this… habit of bringing her up when I'm near you," Raven said apologetically. "It must be frustrating, being compared to your mother so often. I just want you to understand, I don't care about you because you're her daughter," she paused, wondering if her next thought was appropriate. She smiled, realizing she had been doubting herself too much recently, and that it was time to act naturally. "I care about you because you're my daughter too."

For the next few seconds, she held herself frozen, fearing she had gone too far. But then Ruby closed the space between them, hugging her too fiercely for someone who had been in pain just a few moments before.

"You're super awesome, Raven," Ruby said. "I hope we can spend more time together."

"We'll do that," Raven assured, then gave her a wink. "Yang's gonna be jealous, but that's okay. It'll be payback for her comments about booty."

Ruby blushed and looked away embarrassedly. Raven laughed and laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Say, I was going to meet with a _certain someone_ ," she told. "Wanna come along?"

* * *

Mira, her eyes burning with evil. Mira, lighting the world around her aflame. Mira, her hands like claws, ready for the kill.

It had been so easy to hold those images in her head before, but now… Cinder wondered what had changed. She hated that woman as much as she always had, if not more, but when she thought about a final showdown with her… She felt tired and fearful – not herself at all.

Maybe getting so close to death had been the catalyst, or feeling the heat of Mira's fury as she squeezed just beyond her reach. Maybe her powers were being taken away just as they had been _gifted_ to her.

Whatever had happened or was happening, Cinder could barely raise her sword to confront her imaginary opponent. Going to Beacon's gym to train had been an easy enough decision, but once she got there, she felt lost. The fact that her supposed partner had failed to show up only added more trouble to her situation.

When Raven did arrive, though, Cinder wished she hadn't, because Ruby came right behind. The redhead flashed her a smile, but Cinder couldn't muster the strength to respond in kind.

"Hello," Raven said. "I hope you don't mind an audience. Ruby _thought_ she was fully recovered, but she wasn't. Luckily, I found her before she collapsed."

Cinder's head perked up, and suddenly her gaze was much more focused on Ruby.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

"Yeah," Ruby crossed her arms and threw a mild glare at Raven. "She's exaggerating. I was just tired."

"Right," Raven rolled her eyes. "I don't trust her to make her way to her room alone, so I invited her along."

Something about Raven's explanation ringed wrong to Cinder, but she chose not to pursue the matter. It was probably something silly, like an attempt to get her to spend time with Ruby. That was something she had been avoiding for the past week.

"So, you're gonna spar with…?" Ruby questioned, taking a seat on a bench near the wall. "Didn't you lose your sword, Raven?"

"Unfortunately," the Huntress shook her head sadly. "But I suppose losing it was a mixed blessing. Now we know weapons are hardly any help against Mira. She didn't even flinch when I slashed her arm… She just ripped the sword right out and threw it away."

Cinder rubbed her arms self-consciously, wondering if she could reach endurance of that magnitude. It would probably come at a cost.

"Now, I'm pretty sure the only people who can hope to match Mira are you," Raven pointed at Cinder. "Me," she sighed. "And Yang, but she is not getting anywhere _near_ that bitch. Not if I have a say in it."

"She'll try anyway." Ruby pointed out knowingly.

"I _know_ ," Raven chuckled. "And that's why I'll have to knock her out or something," she paused, taking in her own words. "We're not the most traditional of families. Anyway. If we're gonna fight Mira, we're going to have to rely on our strength only. I assume you know a thing or two about hand to hand combat, Cinder?"

The pyromancer nodded and raised her hands as fists. She hadn't ever taken the time to hone her skills in that department, but she supposed it couldn't be too tricky.

"Come at me." Raven demanded.

Cinder responded immediately, her feet leaving the grounds as she lunged towards her opponent with a fist stretched out in front of her. Raven took a step to the right and gripped her wrist, then slammed her down on the ground.

"Yep," Raven said. "You have no idea what you're doing."

"Look, how hard can it be?" Cinder asked heatedly while getting back up. "I'm not going to dance around Mira. She's a savage-"

"I _know_ ," the Huntress interrupted threateningly. "She almost killed me, so you're going to _listen_ to me. Just because your fight will be brutal, it doesn't you should be undisciplined and careless. By keeping calm and focused, you'll have the upper hand."

Cinder nodded quietly, recognizing the wisdom in Raven's words. Without warning, she attacked again, sending a punch towards the Huntress's head. Raven caught it, but this time she couldn't knock Cinder down.

"Good," Raven said. "A strong stance means you can't get knocked down. That's vital. But how are you going to break out now?"

"Like _this_!"

Cinder swung her left leg towards Raven's torso, but the older woman just took the hit in stride, then grabbed the leg and tossed her to the floor.

The next hour carried on in a similar fashion. Cinder used every technique she knew, but nothing came close to breaking Raven's guard. She tried to comfort herself by remembering about the Branwen's formidable Semblance, but it didn't make every fall she took any less painful. Having Ruby nearby to witnesses her failures only added to her humiliation.

After a particularly nasty crash, Cinder got up and found Raven staring at her seriously, hands on her hips. The pyromancer braced herself, expecting the older woman to reveal there was no hope for her to get good enough in time to face her mother.

"Your technique is impressive," Raven said. "But you're holding back. If you start to use your power, this won't be a one-sided spar anymore."

"I could hurt you." Cinder pointed out warily.

"Like I've been hurting you for the past hour?" Raven rolled her eyes. "Don't worry about it. I'm a grown woman."

Cinder nodded hesitantly, then surrounded her fists with fire. At the corner of her vision, she saw Ruby lean forward on her bench, as if she were anxious to see what would happen next. Cinder told herself that was just Ruby's usual enthusiasm about fighting, but she couldn't help but worry.

The pyromancer dashed to Raven, launching an uppercut at her. Raven blocked with her right arm, wincing at the impact, unlike before. Cinder recognized her advantage and pressed on, managing to score a clean hit on Raven's face.

The Huntress spun around but didn't lose her composure, swinging a fist towards where Cinder had been. However, the brunette was already behind her, driving an elbow against her back and knocking her to the ground.

Raven rolled and started to get up, meaning to compliment Cinder, but was struck by a blast of fire. She reeled back and lost her balance, once again falling to the ground. Suddenly, Cinder was on top of her, her hands joined together above her head, ready to come crashing down on her opponent.

And then she blinked and jumped back, staring at Raven with fear and regret. Her flames faded away in an instant as she closed her eyes.

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Raven said, getting back up. "I'm not hurt, you just caught me off guard. Good work."

"No. That wasn't _me_ ," Cinder stated heavily. "I'm sorry. I can't do this."

She turned around and left the gym without an explanation. Ruby got up from the bench and sprinted after her, leaving a confused Raven behind.

"Cinder!" The redhead called, catching sight of the pyromancer at the end of a hallway. "What do you mean you can't do this?!"

Cinder spun around with an expression that clearly told she didn't want to speak about the matter.

"I can't kill Mira."

"Why not?" Ruby asked worriedly. "Because she's your mother?"

" _No_. That's not why," Cinder sighed. "Just… let me be, Ruby. You said it yourself – hell, you _shot_ me so I wouldn't kill her."

Ruby's expression underwent a vast array of emotions, until it settled on anger.

"Yeah, I shouldn't have done that! If I hadn't, my uncle would still be alive!" She exclaimed. "It's my fault, but I can't correct this myself. I thought you'd understand it."

"Understand what?" Cinder asked, bewildered. "That she had to be killed? Oh, of course. That's no problem. Just a walk in the park for Cinder Fall."

"Well," Ruby crossed her arms. "It's not like anything's ever stopped you before."

Cinder stared at her silently, her eyes wavering slightly. Ruby stared right back, but her resolution started to break as she noticed something she had never seen before. Tears in .

"I'm-" Ruby stammered. "Cinder, I'm sorry! I didn't mean-"

Cinder spun around and sprinted away. Ruby made to run after her, but she almost fell as pain flared again near her belly. She slid down a wall and hugged her knees, feeling as if she had just made a huge mistake.

* * *

"Blake?"

The faunus's ears perked up as she heard her girlfriend call her from the other side of the room. Weiss had been giving her the cold shoulder ever since her little… scheme had been discovered. All that Blake had intended with it was to make Weiss happy, but the heiress just didn't see her angle.

"Yes?"

"I was wondering…" Weiss looked around the room, as if to make sure they were truly alone. "Do you have… You know, a family?"

"Yeah," Blake replied instantly. "You, Yang and Ruby. Maybe Jaune and his team. They are like… cousins of some kind."

Weiss smiled, but that wasn't the answer she wanted.

"That's not what I meant," she said. "Did you know your parents?"

"…Yes." Blake replied shortly.

"So… are they around?"

"I don't know."

Weiss sunk on her bed, discouraged by the answers she was getting. Blake sighed and went to sit beside her.

"Look, it's not that I don't want to talk to you about them," she explained. "It's just that there's nothing to be said. You know you can ask me anything."

"I know," Weiss said. "It's just that… With Qrow dying, I've been thinking a lot about family. You know… If I had died during this mess, my family wouldn't even know _why_. They'd just show up to the funeral, clueless, and be filled in afterwards."

"Like I would ever let you die." Blake smiled, seeking to put her girlfriend at ease.

"Yeah. And if you died… Your parents…" Weiss shook her head. "My family would have never met you."

The faunus nodded hesitantly. She was more than wary about meeting Weiss's family, but one day, she'd have to do it.

"Maybe…" She forced herself to speak. "Maybe you should give them a call. I could… meet them."

"What? Are you _crazy_?" Weiss laughed. "I love you too much to put you through that experience."

"They can't be _that_ bad." Blake said.

"They _are_. Have you ever been interrogated by Winter? _How's your health? How's your posture? How's your training?_ " The heiress shuddered. "Let's not even think of my father."

Blake smiled. She was happy to postpone the inevitable for as long as possible.

"So…" She said. "Are you still giving me the cold shoulder?"

"Humph," Weiss looked away. "Your actions are reprehensible."

Blake planted a kiss on her neck.

"But…" The heiress sighed. "I can be persuaded to forgive them."

"Great," Blake whispered. "I'll get to work."

* * *

Cinder paced in front of Ozpin's office, building up the will to enter it. She had considered every other option presented to her, but none satisfied her.

She couldn't go to Raven. She knew all the advice she would get would be useless. Raven's philosophy towards killing was clear: it was abominable, but sometimes necessary. She might understand Cinder's position, but that would only be for the worse.

Weiss and Blake were too close to Ruby, and they seemed busy when she came to see them. The members of Juniper were too naïve, still. Taiyang… She didn't want to bother him with these matters, not after everything that had happened to his family because of Mira.

And Yang? No. Just no. She would never let Cinder forget asking her for advice if she did it.

So that left Ozpin. She didn't know what to expect of him. He had always been helpful, even kind to her, but his first priorities were towards his students' safety.

When she knocked on the door, his muffled voice replied almost immediately. She entered the office and found him seated behind his desk, examining a stack of important-looking documents.

"Are you busy?" She asked.

"I've been busy for a whole week, Miss Fall," he smiled tiredly. "The media is milking Qrow's death for all its worth, sadly. I've had to do the impossible to make sure they don't enter school grounds to _examine_ his grave."

"Damn," Cinder frowned. "I thought _I_ was evil."

He chuckled, then pointed to a chair across from him. She sat down and waited, hesitant to start the conversation.

"What brings you here?" Ozpin asked helpfully.

"A lot of things. But mostly… Mira," she said. "I said I was going to kill her, but… I… I don't know how to say this. I _can't_."

"You can't?" He repeated. "Why?"

Cinder couldn't help but feel a tad irritated. Hadn't she made clear that she didn't know how to say it?

"I don't know." She replied forcefully.

"Perhaps if you speak about it, we'll find out," he said. "You've struggled with your violent past recently, I know it. But I don't see a clear reason for you to take pity on Mira."

"I don't pity her," Cinder shook her head. "I hate her, now more than ever. She deserves to pay for her crimes."

"And you don't?"

The question struck her like a slap to the face.

"You'd… forgive her?" She asked.

"No. Not until a long time passed, at least," Ozpin said. "That is not the point. Would _you_ forgive her?"

"No."

Ozpin nodded.

"I understand, then, that the problem lies not in her, but _you_ ," he stated. "So you would have her die, but not by your hands."

"Yes." She replied seriously.

"What made you come here, Cinder? _Now_. Something must have happened."

She looked away, hesitant to speak so openly with Ozpin. Yes, she had known him for some time now, but that wasn't enough reason to confide on him.

"Come on," he said softly. "You have to speak about it to someone. I won't judge."

"It's… Ruby wants me to kill Mira," Cinder told solemnly. " _Ruby_. She said… She said I should have no problem doing it."

"I see. And that upsets you greatly."

She nodded slowly, not speaking another word as she stared at her feet. Ozpin hid his smile behind a mug of coffee.

"I've witnessed your relationship evolve over these last months, Miss Fall. It's been much like a rollercoaster, with various ups and downs," he said. "As I see it, you've been hanging on to her, no matter the circumstances. Whatever you two have, it is very precious to you."

"Yes. I don't know what I am to her, sir, but…" Cinder paused. "She has always… Almost always, believed in me, even when I didn't believe in _myself_. I've done terrible, terrible things, but she didn't condemn me. And now…"

"Now she wants to bring out that side of you again," he said. "You're at a loss."

The pyromancer shifted in her seat. She felt like a book, being read so easily by the headmaster.

"What you have to understand, Miss Fall, is that Ruby is her own person, first of all," Ozpin pointed out. "She is a kind soul, as rare as they come, but she's as susceptible to her darker feelings as everyone else. Her uncle died because of a _supposed_ mistake she made. It's natural for her to wish vengeance upon his killer."

"Okay," Cinder said quietly. "I… can understand that. But what should I do? Should I do what she wants?"

"I don't know," he replied honestly. "That's not something I can answer for you. But, if you want one last word of advice…" Ozpin took a sip of his coffee. "Just as she has believed in you, you should believe in her."

The girl took his words in silently, wondering over their full meaning. After a while, Ozpin cleared his throat and pointed to the stacks of paper on his desk.

"Oh. Sorry," Cinder got up. "You have a school to run."

"And a friend's grave to guard," he added. "Good luck."

She hesitated in front of the door, then turned to look at him over her shoulder.

"Thank you, sir."

"Please," he chuckled. "My friends call me Ozpin."

* * *

When someone knocked on her team's door, Yang felt a mixture of guilt and relief as she jumped to answer it. Sure, she cared for her little sister, but comforting her for a whole hour with barely knowing the reason for it took its toll.

Cinder was standing in the hallway outside with a resolute look on her face. When she saw it was Yang who opened the door, though, her discomfort was pretty obvious.

"Hey," Yang smiled. "My little sister made you cry."

"I did _not_ cry." Cinder said through gritted teeth.

" _Right_. Something got in your eye."

"…Can I see her?"

Yang crossed her arms, considering the request.

"Hmm… You're only half as bad as you were before," she said. "Okay. You can come in."

"I was hoping we could have some privacy." Cinder added hopefully.

"…You're lucky I'm a good older sister."

Yang went back inside the room, then exited again, dragging along Weiss and Blake, much to their confusion and annoyance. The blonde turned around briefly to leer at the pyromancer, then pointed at the room.

Cinder went inside and closed the door behind her. She looked around the room and found Ruby lying on her rope-suspended bed. Cinder smiled lightly and jumped to sit at her side.

"You know, when you told me how your team arranged this room, I thought that was a joke," she said. "Does Weiss really sleep under this?"

"Yeah," Ruby replied meekly. "She complains about it every week."

"I imagined so."

Cinder looked at Ruby's face and reached forward with her hand, moving her hair away from her eyes.

"I understand why you said what you said," Cinder muttered. "I'm not mad at you."

"That was really, really mean. And horrible. And… bad," Ruby tried to think of more appropriate terms, but she didn't have a dictionary at hand. "I'm really sorry."

"Don't worry about it," the pyromancer shook her head. "You can hate my mother as much as you want. I don't expect you to forgive her."

Ruby bit her lower lip worriedly.

"I… I've never hated anyone before," she whispered. "It feels horrible."

"It should feel like that," Cinder stated. "And it's not easy to fight it. Sometimes, you shouldn't even try," she leaned her head closer to Ruby's and looked her in the eyes. "Do whatever you need to do to cope, okay? I'm going to take care of her, and you'll never have to see her face again."

Ruby nodded slowly.

"Oh, one more thing," Cinder smiled. "I forgive you for shooting me. Numerous times."

"My bad." The redhead winced.

"Why did you do it, though?" Cinder asked. "You said something about Mira _wanting_ me to kill her?"

"Yeah," Ruby shrugged. "I don't know, she's crazy. It was probably another mind game."

Cinder's gaze softened. She wanted to ask exactly what Ruby had been through, but she knew it would be painful for her to talk about.

But as she looked at Ruby, she once more noticed how strong she was. No matter how small, how young, how much torture she had suffered, she was still there, with vibrant silver eyes and a half-formed smile.

"I think's it's been a long time," Cinder said quietly. "Since I last said I love you."

Ruby blinked, not knowing how to react. Then she suddenly sat up and looked at the door of the room.

"And I think it's been a long time since you three have been listening through the keyhole!"

A series of gasps came from the hallway. Ruby jumped to the floor and opened the door. Her three teammates fell on top of each other. Weiss was the first to get up and had the decency to appear ashamed.

"I'm sorry," she said. "We, uh… Didn't hear anything."

" _Right_." Cinder's eyes straightened threateningly.

" _It's been a long time since I last said I love you_ ," Yang muffled a laugh. "That's the corniest thing I've ever heard!"

Ruby growled and lunged at her sister, but Yang was already out the door. The redhead chased after her, and Weiss followed more slowly, just to make sure they didn't murder each other.

Cinder looked at Blake embarrassedly.

"I didn't say anything like that." She stated firmly.

"Of course," Blake nodded solemnly. "Who would ever spout a line like that?"

The pyromancer blushed and marched out the room without saying another word. As soon as she was gone, Blake retrieved a notepad from her bed and started to scribble on it, trying to concoct a less corny spin on the phrase for her own personal use.

* * *

As Adam walked through the White Fang's Vale headquarters, he couldn't help but feel like he owned the world. With Mira gone, he was now officially and _effectively_ the leader of the White Fang, with the power to authorize anything he wanted. For the first time, he could begin taking _real_ steps towards his goals.

Her demise did cause some problems, though. Now he was in Beacon's radar, especially because Qrow Branwen had been killed. He expected resistance from Huntsmen and the school to multiply to aggravating levels.

And, of course, she had been good company… sometimes. In bed, mostly. Otherwise, she was just very threatening and unpredictable.

 _Unpredictable_.

That word rang in his mind as he pushed past a set of double doors and found a whole room filled with gray, burnt-up corpses. There were so many, it was almost impossible to see the floor beneath them. And then a hand snaked over his right shoulder, and he spun around, reaching for his sword.

Mira's hand closed around his wrist, her amber eyes right in front of his own.

"Adam," she clucked her tongue. "Were you going to draw your sword on me?"

"You," he said. "You died."

"Perhaps. I like to think of it as… rebirth," she chuckled. "Like a phoenix, I rose from the ashes, anew. A lot has changed, dear."

Mira twisted her hand, and he heard the bones of his wrist break. He couldn't scream, though, as her other hand was now covering his mouth.

"I'm sorry. I was fond of you," she muttered sadly. "But I have to build my strength back up if I want to accomplish my goals. It's why your little friends died too."

He felt his insides heating up, as if fire was beginning to come to life within him.

"I bet you're thinking you don't deserve a death like this. You have so much to do…" Mira smiled. "Frankly, I've always found your antics of equality – that's what you call it, at least – _ridiculous_. There is no equality, Adam. There are the strong, and the weak; those who die, and those who _go on_."

The color in his eyes faded as he felt his life drain, almost as if it was being pulled away to her hand.

"You should be honored," Mira said. This time, there was no levity in her voice. "You're helping more in your death than you could in an entire lifetime. Your life flows into the cycle…"

He fell to the floor, lifeless.

"And the cycle will go on."

* * *

 **Oh, damn. The shit has hit the fan.  
**

 **Unexpected news (even for me): the next chapter is the finale. Yep. Took ya by surprise, didn't it? I thought we would be having a few more chapters to go, but I don't think it will be necessary. In fact, doing more for the sake of doing more would probably hurt the quality of the story.**

 **Still, there will _another_ chapter after the finale, an epilogue of sorts. So don't get teary-eyed (yet).**

 **Also, I have an alternate end scene for you guys. I hope you like it.**

* * *

As Adam walked through the White Fang's Vale headquarters, he couldn't help but feel like he owned the world. With Mira gone, he was now officially and _effectively_ the leader of the White Fang, with the power to authorize anything he wanted. For the first time, he could begin taking _real_ steps towards his goals.

Her demise did cause some problems, though. Now he was in Beacon's radar, especially because Qrow Branwen had been killed. He expected resistance from Huntsmen and the school to multiply to aggravating levels.

And, of course, she had been good company… sometimes. In bed, mostly. Otherwise, she was just very threatening and unpredictable.

 _Unpredictable_.

That word rang in his mind as he pushed past a set of double doors and found a whole room filled with gray, burnt-up corpses. There were so many, it was almost impossible to see the floor beneath them. And then a hand snaked over his right shoulder, and he spun around, reaching for his sword.

Mira's hand closed around his wrist, her amber eyes right in front of his own.

"Adam," she clucked her tongue. "Were you going to draw your sword on me?"

"You," he said. "You died."

"Perhaps. I like to think of it as… rebirth," she chuckled, then reached for something behind her head.

He heard the noise of a zipper being opened, and suddenly Mira's body fell apart. In her place, stood Emerald Sustrai.

"Surprise, motherfucker." She entoned gravely.

"What!" He exclaimed in disbelief. "That's impossible! You were caught in the explosion, I know it! You couldn't have survived!"

"Hmm. You caught me." She reached behind her head again.

Another zipper went down, and this time, a redhead was revealed. She looked much like Ruby Rose, but older and with a white cloak.

"You can't die if you're already dead!" Summer declared triumphantly.

"But... Why would you kill so many people?" Adam asked confusedly. "You're a Huntress, a fighter of all things evil!"

"Hmm. You caught me." She reached behind her head again.

Adam blinked several times, making sure he was really looking at Blake.

"It was me, Adam!" She shouted. "It was me all along!"

"Aha!" Adam exclaimed, then threw a Dust crystal on the floor.

The crystal exploded and released a purple gas. When it faded, Glynda Goodwitch stood where Adam should have been.

"Miss Belladonna," she said sternly. "You did not hand in your homework today!"

The faunus fell to the floor and screamed to the heavens, cursing the gods responsible for creating the concept of homework.


	26. I won't fall for you

"Cinder?"

Ruby poked her head inside the pyromancer's room, but she was nowhere to be found. That was worrisome, to say the least. Cinder's behavior had been… erratic, for the last week. One day, she was affectionate, the other, distant. But she had never disappeared without giving anyone a clue as to her whereabouts.

The redhead huffed in frustration, trying to piece together where Cinder could be. She had checked the gym and the library already, then returned to her room, but the search wielded no results. She toyed with the idea of recruiting her teammates' help, but she quickly realized that would be received with… _lackluster_ reactions from all three of them.

So, with no other option presenting itself in her mind, Ruby resorted to the next logical step: wandering around the school aimlessly until a miracle happened. As she did, she couldn't help but feel very silly. How come she was always looking for Cinder these days? Didn't she use to spend her time in other ways before they had met each other?

Still, she continued to look. Ruby couldn't quite put it to words, but she had been experiencing a weird feeling lately when she wasn't near Cinder. Like every second apart was a waste of time… Time that was running out faster and faster…

After almost an hour of searching, she finally found Cinder on the school's rooftop, of all places. The pyromancer was sitting on the ceramic tiles, hugging her legs and staring at the nightly horizon. Ruby smiled deviously and started to sneak towards her, trying her hardest to not make any sounds.

"I know you're there, Ruby," Cinder said without turning her head to look. "Did you forget I'm a master of stealth?"

"Aw," Ruby pouted and sat beside her. "You're no fun."

Cinder had no other reaction than a roll of her eyes. Ruby looked around awkwardly, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable by the silence they were sharing.

"So, uh…" She said tentatively. "Whatcha doing up here?"

"Keeping watch," Cinder replied flatly. "Mira could show up at any moment."

"Yeah… But we kinda discussed that already…" Ruby frowned. "Ozpin's made preparations already. He's got like _hundreds_ of airships ready for evacuation at a moment's notice."

"More like a half dozen," the pyromancer shook her head. "It's a smart plan, but not safe enough. I'll stay here in case that maniac starts throwing fireballs at the school."

Ruby nodded, though she wished Cinder would let herself relax a little. The plan was already settled – they would wait for Mira to show up at the school, as she inevitably would, and confront her as a group. They couldn't very well evacuate the students before that. It was too obvious, so Mira would probably target somewhere else, and that place might be out of their immediate reach.

"I wish you would stop being stubborn for once." Cinder said suddenly.

"Huh?" Ruby looked at her confusedly.

"Don't play coy. You know what I'm talking about," the raven-haired girl shot her a knowing look. "You're in no condition to fight anyone, much less Mira. I want you to get on one of those ships when the time comes."

"Hmm…" Ruby tapped her chin, pretending to consider her plea. "Nope. Gonna keep being stubborn," she raised a finger, interrupting Cinder before she could protest further. " _No_. I'm not gonna sit this one out. Mira killed uncle Qrow, and… Well, you might need my help."

It was likely Ruby would prove to be more distracting than helpful, but Cinder kept that opinion to herself. She had learned better than to argue with Ruby – it rarely wielded positive results.

"Okay. But you're not fighting her yourself," Cinder said. "Keep close to Ozpin and Weiss. If I see you even _trying_ to attack Mira, I'll…" She tried to find something appropriate to finish her threat, but everything seemed either too silly or too extreme. "You'll regret it."

"Hah. You can't forbid me from doing anything!" Ruby smiled lightly.

"Yes, I can!" The pyromancer refuted. "…If I tried hard enough."

Ruby laughed and laid her head down on her companion's shoulder. Cinder stilled, hoping Ruby wouldn't notice how fast her heart began to beat.

"Cinder, after this whole thing with Mira is over…" Ruby muttered. "What's gonna happen?"

"What… What do you mean?" Cinder asked, her mouth suddenly dry.

"I mean, what's gonna happen… with us," The redhead blushed and looked away. "We c-could… Try…"

Cinder's first urge was to get up and run as far away as possible, but she knew Ruby would catch up to her with her Semblance, injured or not. She absolutely knew this was the time to make matters clears between them. Cinder wouldn't be around anymore. They would never see each other again. It was sad, but necessary.

However, Ruby's voice was so filled with hope that Cinder couldn't muster the will to do that either. She was already kicking herself for taking the easier road – she seemed to always do that when it came to Ruby, and where had that lead them?

But… Well, they were spending their last days together. One final lie, as heartbreaking as it would be in the future, would extend their happiness, for now…

"Yeah. We'll try again," Cinder said, forcing herself to sound confident. "Not only that. We'll make us work. It's not like I don't love you enough."

"I… Uh, love you too," Ruby replied embarrassedly. She never knew how to behave in these situations. "We could… Watch a movie together or something."

"We never did that," Cinder realized. "It would be nice."

"As long as it isn't a sappy romance," Ruby added. "Oh! It _has_ to have explosions!"

Cinder chuckled. That was such a Ruby-like demand.

Time passed by unnoticed as the pyromancer watched the horizon, the faint sound of Ruby's breathing on her shoulder keeping her happily awake. She had been lying, but now that the words had left her mouth… Maybe they could truly have a chance together. She didn't _have to_ run away.

Eventually, Cinder turned her head to look at her beloved and tell her she should go to sleep, but to her surprise, Ruby had already done so, using Cinder as a pillow of sorts. The pyromancer thought about taking the girl to her room, but she looked comfortable enough already.

After a few minutes, Cinder forgot about why she had gone to the roof in the first place and fell asleep too.

* * *

Raven's grunting echoed through the gym. Her eyes were a deep shade of red as she unleashed her every technique against the dummies in front of her. Every punch, every kick, like miniatures explosions in a soundless void.

And beside her was Qrow, watching with a faint smirk while he leaned on his scythe. When she slowed down, his eyes sparked with a mixture of kindness and humor.

"Come on," he chuckled. "You're not gonna stop already, are you?"

"No…" She closed her eyes for a brief moment. "I can keep going."

She swung her fist against a dummy, and its head flew right off and smashed against a wall, its filling spilling onto the floor. Qrow shook his head slightly, as if he was only mildly impressed by the display of raw power.

"Meh. You can do much better," he noted knowingly. "You _have_ done much better."

"Look," Raven turned to glare at him. "You don't know a damn thing about… That time. I'm tired of it being brought up, okay? Let me be."

"Of course. You wanna forget all about those terrible, terrible things," Qrow said. "I suppose you can't, though. I mean, _I'm_ gone, the only person to _really_ know what happened during those seventeen years… So it should be much easier to forget. But you're still keeping me around…"

Raven frowned and shook her head fervently, her usually controlled expression substituted by another filled with confusion and pain. Qrow patted her on the shoulder – or appeared to, anyway. She didn't feel anything.

"Look, you wanna leave that behind?" He shrugged. "Gotta let me go too."

"I can't let go of you, you're my brother." Raven pointed out meekly.

"Not really. I'm just a part of your subconscious," Qrow rolled his eyes. "Really, you're just talking to yourself. I think you're going crazy… Or is it _I'm_ going crazy? We're going crazy?"

Raven pinched her forehead, trying to focus her tired mind. After a few seconds, she was alone again – no imaginary brothers in sight. Slowly, she lied on the floor, thoughts scattering aimlessly.

Her life was so, _so close_ to being perfect again. Family. Friends. Home. Yet she felt lost, torn between past and present. She wanted nothing more than to find out Mira had killed herself or something like that, but she knew that was unrealistic.

People tried to hide it from her, but she always noticed the stares they gave her. They expected her to be at the frontlines, right at Cinder's side. She was the only other person – besides Yang – that could hope to match Mira. Usually, she would accept that, even be honored by that trust they put on her. But now… Now she was scared.

Because now she had something to lose. She wasn't in some backseat White Fang base, slowly worming her way to the top. She wasn't sneakily trying to alleviate an unfair prisoner's pain. Back then, if she had gotten caught, all it would have meant was the failure of her mission. But today, failure meant her family being at mortal danger.

"Damn," she muttered, trying to imitate her brother's way of speech. "You really like mulling over the bad, huh? Get a grip."

She struggled to get back up, her fists trembling as she focused her stare on the dummies again.

"You're afraid for your family?" She whispered. "Good. That's what's gonna drive you, sister. You gotta protect them… Even Dumbass Xiao Long."

Raven smiled. Maybe she wasn't very good at mimicking Qrow, but if there was one thing she was a hundred percent sure he would say, it was that last line.

"Okay, brother," Raven cracked her fists. Her eyes shifted from violet to red in an instant. "Let's rock."

* * *

Blake's eyes fluttered open suddenly. She was instantly aware that it was way past midnight, that her team's room was pitch black, and that _someone_ was crying.

Her sensitive cat ears turned slightly in the direction of Weiss's bed, but the sound didn't seem to come from that, and not from above it either – thought she couldn't even hear Ruby's breathing, oddly enough.

The faunus didn't hesitate to rise from her mattress and glance at her partner, lying on the bed above her. Yang was sleeping, her hands gripping her pillow with a fearsome amount of strength, while tears shone in her closed eyelids.

Blake silently climbed and sat beside Yang, then shook her slightly. After a while, the blonde's eyes snapped open. Her breathing was erratic as she looked at Blake confusedly.

"Ssh," the faunus whispered. "Weiss's sleeping… I heard you crying."

"No you didn't," Yang replied defensively. "I don't cry."

Blake stared at her fixedly, forcing her partner to look away.

"Okay. I was crying," she admitted. "What's the big deal? Everybody has nightmares."

"I know. I was thinking maybe you needed to talk about it," Blake said. "Was it about your uncle?"

"No," Yang muttered. "I _don't_ wanna talk about it, Blake."

The brusque reply didn't shake the brunette's conviction, though. Blake didn't press her for the truth, but she didn't return to her bed either.

"Blake…?" Yang called softly after a while. "You… have killed some people, right?"

"Yeah." The faunus replied hesitantly.

"How… How do you feel about it?"

Suddenly, the situation was making a whole lot more sense to Blake. She recognized where the conversation was going, because she had asked herself that question before.

"It was necessary," Blake said seriously. "Mostly. I'm sure some of the people I killed could have been dealt with in other ways, but… Well, I didn't have the time to worry about it. That sounds terrible, because it is," she sighed. "So, yeah. I don't like it one bit, but sometimes it's what has to happen."

"Okay… Well, you're a very good person, so I guess it's not _really_ that bad." Yang noted quietly.

"Yeah. I think so too."

Blake gave her a meaningful look, then slipped back to her bed.

When had Yang first taken a life? How recently? Blake rattled her brain, trying to come up with a logical answer.

During their search for Ruby. They had been faced with so many White Fang, Yang was probably forced to kill a portion of them. She had barely made it out alive, after all… And Yang did seem to have become more somber since then, even after Ruby's rescue.

Blake shook her head silently, wishing there was some way she could better help her best friend. But it was hard enough to deal with her own guilt, and she assumed her methods were unlikely to work for Yang too.

With those troubling thoughts filling her head, Blake tried to go back to sleep. Just as she was beginning to slip away, however, her ears shifted once again, and another conundrum presented itself to her.

Where exactly _was_ Ruby?

* * *

"You… dolts!"

Ruby gasped as she jumped to her feet, suddenly awake. She almost slipped on the rooftop's tiles, but a hand gripped her by the arm. She looked up and met with a stare of disbelief from no one but Weiss.

"Seriously," the heiress chided. "We have beds for a reason! Why would you sleep on a rooftop?!"

"…It was comfy." Ruby muttered sheepishly.

Weiss casted a glance at Cinder, who was still sitting down. The pyromancer was rubbing her eyes like one would after being woken up brusquely, but Weiss was pretty sure she was only doing it to hide her embarrassed expression.

"We've been searching for you for hours," Weiss said to Ruby. "Yang was freaking out. Can you imagine her reaction when she finds out you two were… Whatever you were doing."

"We were just sleeping together!" Ruby exclaimed in frustration.

"…Ruby, I don't think you know what that means," Cinder spoke up kindly. "You implied we… Well… Never mind."

Ruby looked at Weiss for an explanation, but the heiress seemed even more mortified than Cinder.

Before the redhead could insist that she be properly informed about her bad choice of words, a sharp noise ringed through the air. The three girls steeled themselves instinctively, and suddenly Weiss tumbled forward, a bullet ricocheting off her Aura-protected back.

"Weiss!" Ruby exclaimed. "Are you okay?!"

"Yeah, I'm fine!" Weiss said through gritted teeth. "What the heck was that? Does Mira have sniper rifles?"

"No, but the White Fang has." Cinder noted seriously, now standing on her feet to scan the horizon.

Suddenly, a multitude of bullets filled the air, heading straight at the school. Cinder focused her powers, summoning a thin wall of fire in front of herself and her companions. She didn't have the time to protect the whole school, but at least she could avoid them getting any early injuries.

"I guess she still has them on her side," Weiss said. "Where's Mira? Can you see her?"

"No," Cinder replied bitterly. "Things have changed. We have to find Ozpin and help with the evacuation."

* * *

The headmaster had been sitting in his office, drinking his coffee calmly when the first shot occurred. Immediately, he jumped to his feet and pulled out his Scroll, tapping furiously to find Glynda's number.

"Glynda!" He called. "Begin evacuation."

" _Already underway_ ," she replied distractedly over the sound of screaming students. " _I'm escorting the kids to the hangar_. _Meet me there_."

Ozpin nodded, forgetting that she couldn't actually see that, and ended the call.

He ran out of his office, almost knocking its doors off its hinges, and sprinted down the hall. The various professors of Beacon hurried along with him, already knowing their roles in the confusion – to gather every student they found and bring them to the airships.

Ozpin decided to leave that job to them and instead meet with his strike team. It wasn't long before he saw Raven exit her guest room, followed shortly by Taiyang. The headmaster shot them an apprehensive look, which Taiyang must have mistaken for something else, because he began to shake his head repeatedly.

"We weren't sleeping together."

" _Taiyang_ ," Raven groaned. He wasn't lying, but that matter was hardly appropriate for the situation at hand. "Mira's got sniper rifles, which means the White Fang is still loyal to her… As loyal as anyone can be to her, at least."

"We'll have to divide ourselves to deal with them," Ozpin said. "Taiyang, I need you to find Weiss and Blake. Go with them and take care of the White Fang. Tell Cinder to join us!"

Taiyang nodded and sprinted away, rushing down the stairs like a madman. When he reached the first floor, he exited the building and dashed towards the dormitories. Bullets homed in his direction, the few that landed on him being deflected by his active Aura.

To his content surprise, the girls were waiting on the dormitory's lobby, Cinder pacing around anxiously. Taiyang felt his heart ache at the sight of Ruby and Yang being safe, but he focused his attention on his current task.

"Schnee! Cat-Girl!" He called. "You're with me. We're stopping the White Fang!" He then pointed to Cinder. "You go to the hangar and team up with Raven and Ozpin."

"Have you seen Mira?" Cinder asked quickly, her eyes narrowing with expectation.

"No, and I'm very happy about it," Taiyang answered. "Go! Ruby, Yang, stay close to her!"

Cinder and his daughters rushed out the dormitory, the pyromaniac forming a barrier around them to deflect any stray bullets. Instead of entering the main building, they decided to run around it. That way, they had cover from the snipers, even if the way to the hangar would be longer.

After a few minutes, they were forced to stop as a squadron of White Fang blocked their way. They were roughly fifty in number, all sporting high-power rifles. But they weren't the biggest obstacle. Behind them stood a huge robot-like gray construct, equipped with cannons and uncountable guns.

"A Paladin?" Ruby groaned. "Where the heck did they get a Paladin?"

"That's not just a Paladin, Ruby," Cinder muttered warily. "I think it's more advanced."

As if to confirm her theory, the robot raised its left arm, revealing a cannon at the palm of its hand. The explosion that it released was so powerful, Cinder was sent reeling back as she struggled to keep her protective barrier up.

Yang cracked her knuckles and leered at the White Fang, a slight smile curving her lips.

"You lovebirds go on ahead," she said. "I'm gonna teach these guys a lesson."

Cinder nodded and started to slowly skirt around the criminals, leading a hesitant Ruby along by her arm. When the first White Fang dared to try and shoot at them, Yang lunged at him, with red eyes and gauntlets whirling.

It didn't take too much time for Cinder and Ruby to reach the hangar after that. Usually, one could see the whole of the Emerald Forest from that vantage point, but now the place was filled with so many students it was nearly impossible to see anything.

Whether through the headmaster's design or dumb luck, they found Ozpin and Raven in the middle of the crowd, hurrying the retreating kids along. He shot a brief look to the girls, then focused on saving his students again.

"Where's my daughter?" Raven asked, trying to hide the fear in her voice but failing to.

"She stayed a little distance behind to take out some White Fang," Cinder explained briefly. "They had some sort of advanced Paladin. I can't believe Mira still has their help…"

"Threats will make a person do virtually anything," the experienced Huntress stated somberly. "Hopefully Taiyang and the others can find Taurus soon and put an end to this."

Cinder opened her mouth to ask where Mira was, when suddenly a huge barrage of fire streaked across the sky, heading directly towards one of the airships. The pyromancer raised an arm to try and divert the flames' destructive path, but a purple glyph appeared before it, dispersing the attack in all directions.

"Glynda is a good assistant," Ozpin noted matter-of-factly, his eyes scanning the school cautiously. "Where did that come from? Where are you…?"

Another fireball appeared, this time aimed at the crowd. Cinder's eyes widened as she realized they would have no hope of moving out of the way in time – dozens would be killed or severely injured. Instinctively, she ran out of the crowd and thrusted her hands before her.

The fire met her and spun around her arms, and she faltered and strengthened at the same time. The flames were so great, filling her with power and warmth… It was too much. She felt like if she took any more of it, she would burst from the inside.

She looked up and saw Mira slowly making her way to the hangar, a perpetual shield of fire spinning around her. Something about the way she walked, so slowly and carelessly, sent shivers down Cinder's spine. She had been taunted by her maker before, but not like this. There had always been words, cruel jokes and tempting invitations… Never _silence_.

Ruby, Raven and Ozpin joined her, all waiting for Mira to make another move. Behind them, the professors were still rushing the students to their transports. One of the airships took off, everyone inside scared of being shot down by the madwoman.

"Mira Fall," Ozpin said loudly. "We have never met before, strangely enough. You have been a thorn in my side for years, and now you target my school…" He smiled humorlessly. "I am not a vindictive man. If you'll stand down now, I swear you won't be hurt."

A moment of silence passed as they waited for a response and another airship took off. Slowly, a smile crept on Mira's lips, and her shield of fire faded away.

" _Headmaster_ ," she chuckled. "I couldn't care any less about you."

Suddenly, she unleashed another attack, aimed at Ozpin. Cinder dove to stand in front of him and absorbed the flames, her body shuddering with new power.

"It feels good, doesn't it?" Mira's words carried over to them. "Join me, my dear. You can have _so much more_ …"

Cinder made to dash towards her, but Ozpin gripped her by the shoulders and nodded towards the remaining four airships. They had to make sure everyone was safe before engaging Mira in full combat.

Unfortunately, he didn't have his attention on Raven, and the Huntress didn't hesitate to begin her assault. Mira seemed both amused and annoyed by her opponent as she dodged a flurry of punches and kicks.

"You killed my brother!" Raven yelled. " _You killed him_!"

She swung a fist towards Mira's face, and surprisingly, the pyromancer wasn't quick enough to dodge. Mira spun, dazed, and was then hit by numerous other attacks. Every punch and kick sent waves of pain rippling through her body.

As painful as the assault was, however, Mira quickly retook control of the fight. Suddenly, she was holding Raven's left wrist midway through a punch. With a gleeful smile, Mira started to pull, taking joy in Raven's futile efforts to break away…

And then something else hit Mira in the stomach and sent her reeling back. Ruby recovered from her tackle and unfolded her scythe, pointing it menacingly at her enemy.

"Ah. I was wondering if you were going on one of the airships," Mira said happily. "I guess I don't need to take them down anymore if you're staying here."

Raven's eyes widened as she realized exactly what Mira was planning to do. Without hesitation, the Huntress tackled Ruby on her side, sending the redhead stumbling away. A massive explosion landed right where Ruby had been standing before, powerful enough to tear through the whole her Aura at once.

Cinder grunted angrily and tore away from Ozpin's grasp. With a yell, she lunged at Mira, hands flying towards the older pyromancer's throat.

"Finally," Mira said as she slapped her in midair, sending her spinning to the right. "Come on. _Give me all you have_."

A switch seemed to turn inside Cinder's head, taking all her focus and reason away. She lunged again, and this time Mira's counter wasn't strong enough to drive her back. Cinder punched her mother in the stomach, and Mira laughed breathlessly before tackling her to the ground.

Mira straddled her and started to strangle her, hands as hot as fire. Cinder looked up at her ferociously and unleashed two bursts of flames from her hands, sending herself upwards. She fell on top of her enemy, now in switched positions.

" _You_. I hate you," Cinder said through gritted teeth. "I hate you… I hate you…"

Mira laughed and kneed her on her side. Cinder tumbled off of her and tried to distance herself, but Mira took a step towards her and prepared to punch her in the face.

A faint wave of pain echoed through Mira's body. Slowly, she turned her head to glare at Raven, who had rejoined the fight and stricken her on the shoulder.

"Go. Away," Mira's voice was filled with rage. " _GO AWAY_!"

In the blink of an eye, Raven was being lifted by her throat. The Huntress's eyes widened as she realized she was about to be killed just like her brother… And then Mira spun around and threw her with unbelievable force towards the school. She was launched so forcefully, Raven's body tore through the school's main building's exterior walls and fell inside.

The distraction was all Cinder needed to take the advantage with a relentless series of attacks. Mira was defenseless – strangely so. After a minute of being knocked around, the villain fell to her knees, breathing raggedly.

Cinder looked down at her, eyes burning with hatred. Mira stared right back, appearing weaker than ever before.

"Do it," Mira whispered. "Kill me."

Cinder raised her fist to grant that wish, but suddenly stopped. Something was off in Mira's voice. She wasn't asking for death because she was defeated… Even stranger, it also didn't seem like she was trying to finish some mysterious plan… No.

She sounded like someone in true pain, wanting nothing more than to be released from it. Cinder's eyes wavered, and slowly, she lowered her arm.

A moment of silence passed. Then, Mira's eyes shone brighter than ever before and she got on her feet again, a vicious snarl on her lips.

"You ungrateful little _bitch_!" She roared. " _WHY WON'T YOU KILL ME_?!"

Mira slapped her across the cheek so strongly, Cinder's vision was filled with black dots and she started to fall. Before she met the ground, though, Mira struck once again with a powerful punch to the stomach.

Cinder stumbled back, the vastness of the Emerald Forest behind her. Mira raised her right hand, palm facing her daughter, and launched a barrage of fire at her. Cinder barely registered the pain before blacking out and falling off the hangar.

The airships were now gone, the only witnesses remaining being Ruby and Ozpin. The headmaster's gaze hardened and he gripped his cane, trembling with fury. Ruby covered her mouth with her hands and looked down at the forest, tears pooling on her eyes.

"No," Mira took a step back, regret filling her voice. "No. _No_. It's not over. Not over…"

She marched towards the edge of the hangar, meaning to jump off and find her daughter, but something hit her in the back of the head, sending her sprawling to the floor. She spun and looked up at Ozpin.

"You're right," he said gravely. "It's not over."

* * *

The White Fang didn't take long to realize the school had been evacuated and that they had nothing to shoot at from the outside anymore. Slowly, hundreds of masked criminals appeared on the perimeters of the school, converging towards the front entrance of the main building.

Weiss, Blake and Taiyang had taken cover behind the dormitory, where they had vision of their enemies' movements, but were unlikely to be seen in return.

"What are they doing?" Weiss whispered. "What's the purpose of invading our school?"

" _Your_ school is not just a school, and you know it, Schnee," Taiyang noted. "Beacon has immense political influence, and on a worldwide scale no less. My bet is, the White Fang would be very happy to take it down."

"I think you're right, but it's… irrational," Blake shook her head in disappointment. "Beacon is one of the most faunus tolerant institutions in Remnant. Destroying it would only hurt our image."

Taiyang smiled and stood up, reaching for something in his back pocket – a little black metal cube.

"Well, I guess we only have one choice," he said. The cube started to unfold mechanically, until he was holding a hammer equivalent to his size in both hands. "Let's give them hell."

He yelled and dashed into the open, attracting the attention of pretty much all the White Fang. Weiss stared, slack-jawed.

"That's some astonishing family resemblance." She muttered.

"Come on, Ice Queen," Blake said, drawing her sword. "I've got my honor to uphold."

"Oh, great," Weiss grumbled under her breath. "Now you're calling me Ice Queen too. Just _great_. It's not like I mind, right?"

* * *

Raven came to when a large piece of the ceiling fell to the floor to her right. She jumped to her feet, startled, and immediately fell back down.

"Shit." She grunted.

She had taken more damage than anticipated. Mira had broken through her Semblance in one fell swoop – that woman's powers got more unbelievable each time they fought.

Apparently, Mira's throwing her had led her deep into Beacon's main building, and for some reason, the whole place was shaking. She quickly found out why when a large Paladin came tearing down through the ceiling and into the basement below. Raven faintly heard her daughter yelling somewhere above her. To her relief, it didn't sound like she was in pain, just _really_ into the fighting.

Raven got up and leaned against a wall, catching her breath. If she took a few minutes to rest and regain her strengths, she could probably rejoin the fight. It was very improbable she could even touch Mira now, but a few White Fang goons? Easy.

She didn't have the time for it, as suddenly she was sent crashing down to the floor by a kick to her left leg. Raven gasped painfully and looked up, meeting eyes with Argie. The silver-haired boy had an emotionless expression on his face, but the hand that held his sword was shaking beyond control.

"Fucking hell," Raven sighed. "You really love to make bad situations worse, don't you?"

"Shut up!" He exclaimed angrily, kicking her again, this time right in the forehead. Raven fell on her back, the world spinning around her. "I'm going to make you pay for what you did to me."

"I didn't do anything to you!" She replied heatedly. "You tried to stab my daughter! You stabbed _me_!"

"You killed my brother! You killed him!"

Raven's mouth hung open as she stared at him. He didn't look like a cold-blooded killer, but someone who had suffered too much at the hand of someone else and now could finally take his vengeance. She couldn't really blame him for wanting to kill her… She had just tried to do the same with Mira, not even an hour before.

But if she had killed Mira, no one would have suffered because of it. Mira had no family, no friends, no one to mourn her. Her death would be welcomed by most, in fact.

Raven, however…

"I get it," she said softly, looking up at him. "I made a horrible, horrible decision, and you're suffering because of it. I know how it feels like to lose a brother – to have him _murdered_ right in front of your eyes."

"Then you should let me kill you," Argie interrupted. "Give me peace, and I'll make your death painless."

"No. I can't let you do that," she closed her eyes. "Please. I have a daughter. I can't lose her, but most importantly, she can't lose _me_. It would break her, and then what would happen? She'd go through hell to kill you. And that's when I lose her."

He stared at her, eyes wavering. Raven's heartbeat was deafening to her ears as she waited for his judgment.

"You expect me to forgive you?" He asked.

"No," she shook her head. "You don't have to forgive me. You shouldn't. But you can let go, and make your brother proud. Do you really think he would want you to murder me, defenseless and… begging?"

That's where everything could go wrong. Raven had no clue as to the boys' background. They could have been serial killers, for all she knew, and that claim might have just offended and pushed Argie away. But she had to believe he was better than that. Why would he listen to her for so long if he wasn't?

The silver-haired boy stood still for a long time, just staring at her. And then, suddenly, his gaze shifted to his sword, which was almost escaping from his grip, shaky as it was.

"Alright," he mumbled. "I'll let you go. But if I ever see-"

" _MOM_!"

Raven looked behind her and saw Yang running towards them, her eyes the deepest shade of red the Huntress had ever seen in her life. She opened her mouth to warn her daughter to stop, but she was too late.

Yang's left gauntlet whirled madly as she shot at Argie, bullets and mini-explosions tearing at his Aura. The blonde yelled and lunged at him, kneeing him right in the chin. They fell to the ground, Yang on top, and she lost herself in an all-out assault on his body.

Raven stared horrified as blood flew and covered her daughter's face and hands, and she kept going, until Argie's head was virtually unrecognizable. Yang breathed heavily, then inched away from the body and towards her mother.

"It's okay, mom," she whispered. "I saved you. He's not gonna hunt us anymore."

"Y-Yang, he-" Raven's voice faltered. She couldn't tell the truth. Not now, not ever. "He was going to kill me. Thank… you…"

Yang hugged her, buried her head on her shoulder and started to cry. Raven caressed her head gently, but her eyes never left the dead boy before them.

* * *

" _Cinder_!"

Ruby pressed her back against a tree and held her breath. Mira had arrived already? But Ozpin… When Ruby had sneakily jumped off the hangar to find Cinder, he had still been fighting Mira… And not losing. Whatever had happened to him after she left?

" _Cinder_!" Mira called again. Her usually enchanting voice was now filled with fear and exhaustion. Maybe the headmaster had done some damage, after all. "Where are you? I know you're not dead. You're tougher than that. _We_ are tougher than that. Please, I just want to talk to you."

Ruby dashed from the tree and resumed her search, now with the fear of being incinerated on sight. But she had to find Cinder before it was too late, or they would all be doomed.

Mira continued to call for her daughter. Ruby almost felt pity for her. For once, Mira sounded like a normal human being. But then Ruby remembered what she had done to her uncle and refused to feel like that again.

"There!" Mira exclaimed happily. "Are you okay, dear? I didn't _hurt_ you, did I?"

Ruby cursed under her breath and followed the villain's voice, cautiously staying behind the cover of the forest's trees.

Cinder was lying on the ground, her back resting against a tree. Her dress was torn in several places, and her skin had been bruised and scratched. Mira kneeled beside her.

"Stay. Away," Cinder said through gritted teeth. "I don't wanna have anything to do with you. I thought I was insane – but you… You proved I was far, _far_ away from that."

"I'm sorry," Mira muttered softly. "I only hurt you because I want the best for you. I don't want you to die. You know that, right?"

"No. I don't know anything!" Cinder exclaimed. "You haven't explained a thing, you just entered my life and ruined it! You assaulted me; you kidnapped Ruby; you killed her uncle! And I have no fucking clue _why_!"

Mira bit her lower lip.

"I'm not supposed to tell you," she said hesitantly. "This power we have, dear, it grows. Every generation, a Fall gifts it to another. When the time comes, the youngest one… _takes_ the mother's power. She becomes even more powerful… And then that Fall chooses another girl, and the cycle goes on…"

"That's why you wanted me to kill you?" Cinder frowned. "So I would become more powerful and continue this cursed lineage?"

"It's not cursed, dear! This power is a gift, something no one else in the world can match!" Mira protested. "Think about it. With my power added to yours, you could hold Remnant in the palm of your hands!"

"So you couldn't just tell me?!" The younger pyromancer asked angrily.

"You wouldn't have taken my power," Mira's eyes flashed with frustration. "Not with _her_ around."

Ruby stilled behind her cover, gripping her scythe more tightly.

"That little girl changed you. She made you think you were someone else, and that someone wasn't fit for the lineage," Mira continued. "So I had to make you hate me. How? By _destroying_ who she was. But she refused to change! She _SHOT YOU IN THE FUCKING BACK_!"

"She did the right thing," Cinder said. "I will never follow your wishes."

"Won't you?" The villain smiled. "I don't think so. Because if you don't kill me _right now_ , I'm going to kill every. Last. One of them. Every _friend_ you made. Your little girlfriend. And if you still refuse, I'll unleash my fire on Vale. It's your choice."

She stood up and extended her arms to the sides, making herself completely vulnerable. Cinder's eyes wavered. Slowly, she rose to her feet.

Ruby's expression hardened. Suddenly, she parted from her cover and stood in the open, pointing her scythe at Mira.

"Stay away from her." Ruby said.

"Ruby, don't do it," Cinder spoke slowly. "I need to do this. She won't stop until I kill her."

"No! She won't stop _ever_!" The redhead exclaimed. "If you kill her, what's really going to happen you? You'll go crazy! You've told me how your power affects you, imagine how much worse that would be if they grew even more!"

"She's lying." Mira said, forcing herself to sound patient.

"No!" Ruby insisted. "Cinder, do you think you're the first person in this _lineage_ to grow a conscience? Of course you're not! But every one of them turned into _her_! No wonder the mother always dies!"

Cinder's eyes straightened as she saw the wisdom in Ruby's words. Without saying anything, she took a step away from her mother.

"Good job," Mira said venomously to Ruby. "You just love messing with another's family matters, don't you? Maybe it's because you don't have a mother, so you feel the need to ruin every-"

"Step away from Cinder," Ruby interrupted seriously. "This is your last warning."

"Or what?" Mira smiled. " _You'll_ shoot me?"

Ruby pulled the trigger, sending a bullet flying straight towards Mira's forehead. The older pyromancer's face flashed with anger, and with sudden swiftness, she slapped the bullet away.

The projectile shot back through the air at an even greater velocity, piercing through Ruby's Aura. Cinder saw, as if in slow motion, as the bullet entered Ruby's chest and exited through her back. The redhead fell to the ground with a quiet whimper, blood pouring from her wound.

"That's surprising," Mira said humorously. "I didn't think she would actually-"

Suddenly, the temperature rose around them. Fire enveloped Mira, and then she was on the ground, left cheek stinging like hell. Cinder yelled incomprehensibly and unleashed her full wrath on her mother.

With every attack, Cinder felt herself become more powerful, and that feeling drove her to strike even faster. Heat radiated from her like a miniature sun, shining light on their surroundings. She lost track of time and herself, just punching and punching, until she punched one last time, but no power flowed into her.

Cinder stood up and looked at her hands, a wide smile appearing on her face. It felt _exhilarating_! She could do anything, conquer anyone! She was sure that with this power, whatever she could think, she could do… And she had so many possibilities in mind…

She spun around, eager to test out her power, and saw Ruby lying on the ground, tainting the forest soil with blood. Cinder stared with her mouth hanging open, as if she didn't know what to make of the sight.

And then something happened within her, her mind racing like a lightning bolt. Memories came back to her all at once – jasmine tea, warm hugs, soft words… Innocent silver eyes.

Cinder fell to her knees and embraced Ruby, tears flowing down her cheeks. She pressed her ear to the redhead's chest and heard a heartbeat, becoming fainter and fainter each time.

"Ruby?" She called. "Can you hear me? J-just say something!"

"Hmm…" Ruby mumbled. "Cookies…"

"Yes! Keep thinking about cookies!" Cinder exclaimed. "I'm gonna get you to a doctor!"

She snaked her arms beneath the wounded girl and started to lift her, but stopped as soon as blood came out pouring in even greater quantities. Cinder gasped in frighten and fell to her knees again.

She couldn't take Ruby anywhere. Her Scroll was nowhere to be found. Everyone above them were either dead, unconscious or didn't know their location.

"No," Cinder whispered. "Ruby? Just… Just hold on, okay? Everything's gonna be okay. That wound's nothing to you. Y-you're the greatest Huntress Remnant has ever seen, and you'll only become g-greater…"

She broke again, able to do nothing but cry and hug Ruby as tightly as she could.

This wasn't happening. It wasn't possible. Not after everything that they had gone through together.

Cinder's heart jumped in her chest when she felt her hands becoming warmer. With terror, she realized the heat was exiting her and flowing away… into Ruby. The pyromancer screamed and jumped back, certain that she had hurt Ruby even further.

To her confusion and fear, a small trail of golden fire snaked through Ruby's body, quickly making its way to the wound on her chest. Before Cinder could do anything, it entered and shone brightly for a full minute. Then, it faded.

A moment of silence passed as Cinder wondered what exactly had happened. Then, Ruby sat up with wide eyes, her chest healed without even a scar.

"Huh…" She frowned. "What happened?"

"I… I healed you!" Cinder exclaimed. "Ruby, I _healed_ you!"

"Wait, what?" Ruby felt very lost. "Did you kill Mira?"

Cinder blinked and looked at her mother, sprawled on the forest ground with a bloody face. She was… breathing, very lightly so. Cinder smiled and stood up, feeling very inclined to just incinerate her and claim she had been already dead.

But then she felt the weight of Ruby's look on her, and took a deep breath. Cinder kneeled beside Mira and focused, trying to remember how healing Ruby had felt. After a few minutes of trying, her hands ignited with golden flames, and she pressed them to her mother's forehead.

It didn't take long for Mira's eyes to open. She looked from Cinder to Ruby, confused, then narrowed her eyes furiously.

"You didn't do it!" She exclaimed. "You didn't kill me!"

She thrust her palm in Ruby's direction, but no fire was released. She tried again, to no avail. Slowly, her expression became one of utter dismay, as if her whole world was falling apart.

"I feel… empty," she muttered. "Kill me. _Please_."

"No," Cinder said resolutely. "That's too easy an end for you."  
Mira shook helplessly. Her eyes regained some of her old vileness when she looked at Cinder again.

"But you have the power," she realized. "You'll keep the lineage going. I can't wait to see what you'll make of the world with it."

"Nothing at all. I don't want to change the world, or conquer it. Whatever your end goal is," Cinder answered. "This power isn't a gift or a curse, Mira. It just is. And we can be greater than it. _I'm_ greater than it."

Ruby shuffled to her feet. Hesitantly, she folded her scythe and put it away.

"Yep," she said, adopting her usual cheerful attitude. "You are going to prison, Miss Fall! Uh, sorry, Cinder. I meant Miss… Miss Meanie…?"

"Don't worry, Ruby," Cinder smirked. "I wasn't offended."

Mira closed her eyes and, for the first time of many to come, cursed at her defeat.

* * *

Yang walked out of the school slowly, helping her mother along with an arm around her shoulders. The entire front area was filled with unconscious White Fang, much to their surprise.

Weiss and Blake were interrogating one of the few criminals awake, while Taiyang hanged around aimlessly. When he saw his family exit the building, he ran to them and enveloped them in a hug.

"You two… damn women!" He cursed lightly. "Always getting yourselves in bad situations. I was worried sick you had died or something."

"You worried for nothing," Yang said, then forced a smile for him. "Good job taking care of these guys."

"Well, Schnee and Cat-Girl helped a little. But I did most of the work." He boasted.

Yang made her way to her teammates, leaving her parents to talk by themselves. Blake was crouched before her prisoner, staring into his eyes fiercely. She wasn't the victim of that stare, but Yang still shuddered because of it.

"I'm going to ask one last time," Blake said in a low, dangerous tone of voice. "Where is Adam Taurus?"

"I don't know." The criminal replied tiredly.

Blake sighed, then let go of him and got up. Weiss patted her on the shoulder comfortingly.

"I can't do it," the faunus said. "Threatening is as far as I'll go."

"Maybe it would work if you tried a more… _sensual_ approach." Yang piped in.

Weiss's glare could have cut through metal.

"Hey, Yang," Blake said, making a point of ignoring her suggestion. "What's up? Anything going on inside the school?"

"Nope. I took care of the ones who got inside," Yang looked away shiftily. It didn't go unnoticed by Blake. "Anyway. Where's everyone else? Is Mira down already?"

"We… thought you knew what had happened," Weiss said worriedly. "Ruby, Cinder, Ozpin and Mira disappeared. We have no idea where they are."  
Yang's eyes widened. This could only mean bad things. Without asking for anyone to come along, she started to walk towards the hangars.

She didn't get far, however, before someone screamed behind her.

"They're here!"

Yang spun around and saw Ruby and Cinder passing through the school gates and nearing them. The blonde smiled and rushed to her sister, lifting her in a hug and spinning her in circles.

"Y-Yang!" Ruby exclaimed embarrassedly. "Please, stop it! I'm fine!"

Yang put her down, still ecstatic about her return. Then she noticed someone else standing behind Cinder, and her blood froze.

"What is she doing here?!" The blonde screamed. "Didn't you kill her?"

Mira glared at her, but didn't have the will to do anything else.

"Nobody is killing her," Cinder said firmly. "I took her power away. She can't hurt a fly."

"That doesn't mean she should live." Yang noted harshly.

"Yes, it does," the pyromancer refuted. "Killing her isn't the only option anymore. Now she can be held in a prison, like any other criminal, for the rest of her life."

Yang clearly didn't agree, but she decided to let the matter be for now and walked away. Weiss and Blake examined the once-powerful Mira with a mixture of fear and relief.

Ruby looked around the place with a frown on her head.

"Where's Mister Ozpin?" She asked worriedly.

"We don't know." Blake replied.

All eyes turned to Mira. The woman smiled and chuckled.

"Wouldn't you like to know…"

Cinder resisted the urge to punch her.

"Tell me," she ordered. "And… I'll make sure you have decent breakfasts in prison."

"Oh, my. What a considerate daughter I have," Mira rolled her eyes. "Have fun scouring the Emerald Forest for his body. When you find the first arm, don't worry, the rest of him should be easier-"

"I'm right here."

Ozpin appeared beside them, wearing a little smirk on his face. Mira's face paled, as if she were seeing a ghost.

"How…" She started to say.

"Don't bother yourself trying to find out. It's a secret to everybody," he said. "Anyway. Which prison would you prefer?"

* * *

The following days seemed to pass by like a blur.

The battle with the White Fang had damaged a large portion of the school, which meant they would have to rebuild. Luckily, they were very near the end of the didactic semester, so the students were allowed to leave the rest of it for when everything was fixed.

Dealing with the White Fang proved to be a bureaucratic mess. Ozpin wanted to just hand them over to the Vale police, but a vast recount of the events of and leading up to the attack was demanded of him and everyone involved. The media would have weeks of desirable material, much to the headmaster's chagrin.

Blake was very troubled by Adam's absence. All of the henchmen she had asked didn't have answer for her, and Mira refused to open her mouth too. But the faunus could tell the villain knew something, just from the satisfied way she looked at her when she had asked.

To Weiss's horror, her family decided to help directly with Beacon's rebuilding, even going so far as to send Winter Schnee as a representative. It wasn't long before the older sister discovered Weiss had a girlfriend, and that led to many tense, but sometimes heartwarming, dinners.

Yang didn't laugh or smile as much anymore. Ruby and Weiss attributed it to the aftermath of the battle, but Blake knew wiser. Some nights, she would be woken up by her crying, and there was nothing that could be done about it.

Taiyang decided to hang around the school a bit longer to help with the rebuilding and spend time with his family. Raven didn't tell him about what had happened during the attack – she could hardly think of it herself. To her surprise, Ozpin was quick to offer a teaching position in Beacon, but she only said she would consider it.

Ruby went through the last bit of her recovery astoundingly fast, as if some unnatural force were aiding her. She was a hundred percent back to her usual self, smiling, joking and laughing.

Why shouldn't she be happy? She had a movie to look forward to, after all.

* * *

"Ruby," Weiss called tiredly for the fourth time. "Cinder's already here."

"I _know_!" The redhead whined. "If you'd help me get prepared…"

The heiress groaned and looked at her partner, who had been standing in front of a mirror for an hour now. Weiss didn't judge anyone for wanting to dress up for a date, but Ruby had somehow managed to not look any different at all, despite all her efforts to the contrary.

"Ruby, I really don't think Cinder likes you for yours looks." Blake said.

"Hey!" Yang protested from her bed. "That's my little sister you're talking about!"

"I didn't mean it like that!" Blake shook her head apologetically. "You're pretty, Ruby, but Cinder likes you for who you are. You don't need to dress up for her."

Ruby considered her friend's words for a few seconds, then smiled.

"You're right! Blake, you give the best dating advice ever!" She glared at Weiss. "Unlike _someone_ …"

"Tell her all about your big sniper-scythe," Weiss deadpanned. "No girl can resist that."

"Wait…" Yang frowned. "Did Weiss just make an innuendo?"

"No!" The heiress blushed. " _You_ made it an innuendo!"

Ruby ignored her teammates' squabble and exited the room. Luckily, Blake's advice seemed to _really_ work, because Cinder was also dressed in only a simple t-shirt and jeans.

"Sorry!" Ruby exclaimed. "I didn't mean to keep you waiting for so long."

"Don't worry about it," Cinder chuckled. "Shall we go?"

"We shall!"

The two exited the dormitory and headed for the road that would take them down to Vale. The construction workers were beginning to leave as dusk came. They had estimated the rebuilding to complete in at least one month – which, in Ruby's eyes, was too soon. She would have appreciated more time to goof off and not going to class.

"So," Ruby said, trying to start a conversation. "Have you packed your things yet?"

"What things? You know I have almost no personal belongings," Cinder noted humorously. "But, yes, I have. The only problem is finding an apartment in Vale now."

"How hard can that be?" Ruby shrugged.

"Well, maybe if I had money…" Cinder sighed. "I don't want to ask someone for it. _Hey, Taiyang! Remember that time my crazy mother kidnapped your youngest daughter? The same daughter I'm dating? Haha! Fun times! Can I borrow your money?_ "

"Well, you gotta start from somewhere," the redhead frowned. "Don't ask my dad, though. He won't give it to you."

"Why? Is he stingy?"

"No, because you're dating his youngest daughter."

Cinder nodded. That seemed like a logical enough reason.

As they neared the city, Cinder couldn't help but feel uncomfortable. This was where she was going to live from now on. How would she fare, living in an apartment alone, like a normal person? Where would she work? How would she cook? Those were all questions that made her want to undo her most recent decision and run away.

Thinking about it brought the guilt back. She looked at Ruby slyly, kicking herself for even considering running away from her. Unfortunately, Ruby had become very adept in catching her in her subtler motions.

"What's going on, Cinder?" The redhead smiled smugly. "You're giving me _that_ look."

"It's…" Cinder sighed. No more secrets. "I haven't told you this before, because… Well, it would upset you."

"Don't worry. I won't be upset." Ruby assured.

"Okay," the pyromancer took a deep breath. "Before Mira, and a little bit after, I was thinking of running away."

Ruby looked very upset.

"It's not that I didn't want to be with you," Cinder explained. "It's just… I felt – and still feel – like I don't deserve you. I mean, I've killed, lied… Generally made your life a lot messier than it needs to be. So I wanted to leave to your own devices. Maybe you'd find someone better."

"That's… kinda awesome, actually," Ruby smiled. "I think your thinking you don't deserve me is cowpoop. And don't even try to argue. You worry so much about my happiness… Isn't that how a relationship should be?"

"I think so," Cinder nodded. "But I'm still dangerous. I have Mira's power, after all."

"So?"

The first week had been rough. Cinder had struggled to contain her power, and sometimes she hadn't been able to. The walls of her room at Beacon were proof of that, with scorch marks and punched holes.

It became easier with time, and with Ruby's visits. Being in the redhead's presence was soothing. One day, Cinder had been surprised by a request for her to try and summon her healing powers again. She was scared to death that she might accidentally hurt Ruby instead, but after much insistence, she conceded.

Healing was… different. She hadn't been able to pinpoint exactly how it felt at first, but now… Every time she'd lay a hand on somebody – which was restricted to Ruby, for now – and heal their wounds, she felt one with the fire within her. _Alive_.

"Forget it," Cinder shook her head. "That was just me worrying over nothing. I've got everything under control. _We've_ got everything under control."

"Yep!" Ruby agreed excitedly, seeing the lights of the cinema a few streets ahead. "We got it!"

"Seriously, Ruby, I don't know what I would have done without you. You showed me what this fire really is," the pyromancer smiled. "Maybe if the previous Falls had had a corresponding Rose, things would have worked out better for them."

"Yeah, if they all had your looks, it would be pretty easy to _Fall_ for them!"

Cinder groaned and looked away. Sometimes she forgot who Ruby had grown up with.

The two crossed a street and entered the cinema. Ruby immediately raced to the posters on the wall, searching for the one with the most explosions. Cinder waited patiently, though there was one more thing she _needed_ to say.

"Ruby, I love you," she spoke suddenly. "And I need to say something."

"Uh, okay," Ruby stopped her movie hunting to listen to her. "It must be pretty serious."

"Yes," Cinder hesitated. "I… I would prefer if we watched a romance. Actions movies aren't really my thing."

Ruby stared at her, mouth hanging open. She would need a few minutes to adjust to that brusque change in Cinder's character.

"That's…" Ruby took a deep breath, forcing herself to stay calm. "That's okay. We can watch whatever you want. You know why? Because I love you, and I respect your opinions and tastes."

Cinder stepped forward to give her a kiss. When she retreated, Ruby was swinging her credit card in front of her with a wide smile on her face.

"I'm buying everything!" She sang. "'Cause you're broke."

"Ruby," Cinder smiled. "I really don't deserve you."

* * *

 **Wooh! Le Grande Finale! Don't worry, we still have an epilogue next week!  
**

 **I apologize for the slight delay. This chapter was double the usual length, so I think you might understand why it took longer to finish. Also, I spellchecked this time! (Except the penultimate scene and the one before that, because I got lazy.) And I also rewrote the whole last scene. Trust me, this one is MILES better. (As in, WTF was I thinking with the original one)**

 **I'll be saving my thoughts of the whole story for the next chapter. Still, I'm gonna give you guys a premature thanks for being awesome!**

 **KILL-ME-sized thanks to everyone who reviewed, followed and favorited _Falling Roses Burn Brighter_!**

 **-Zeroan**


	27. Epilogue

"Target… acquired."

Ruby's lips curved into a slight smile as she pulled her scythe's trigger, exploding her targeted Beowolf's head with a single, expertly-aimed, bullet. As it fell, dead, the rest of its pack – seventeen of them, as she had carefully counted beforehand – howled as one and converged around it.

She sprang from the tree branch she had been perched on, soaring through the air so quickly she was nothing less than a blurred red shape. A soft thud announced her arrival to the monsters, but it was too late for them already.

Over the next ten seconds, she spun and jumped and cut and shot, like a speed demon of myth become reality. And then she halted, and none of the Grimm stayed alive for much longer, her attacks so quick their effects seemed to come whole seconds after they hit.

Anyone in their right mind would have ran away, fearing for their lives… Especially when her smile widened and she withdrew her weapon carelessly, as if she weren't in the middle of a Grimm-infested forest.

Or at least what _had_ been a Grimm-infested forest.

"Another job well done," she sighed contently. "Weekend, here I come!"

She pulled up her Scroll and tapped quickly on it. A minute passed as she waited, but her call went unanswered.

"Typical. Always refusing to just _answer the phone_ ," she mumbled, then hit a button to send a voice message instead. "Hey, sweetie. I've just finished my last job. That's the fourth this week, by the way, so you should be impressed. Not that you should ever _doubt_ my capabilities, of course…"

Ruby snickered.

"Seriously, if you ever say I'm not the greatest Huntress ever, you're gonna get an earful," she said. "Anyway. I'm gonna swing by Weiss's place to invite them in person, then I'll be back home to see ya! Bye!"

She finished the message and sent it on its way, then nodded sadly as she prepared to run her last errand on the frigid place she had _specifically_ picked for the week.

More than two decades had passed since its creation, yet Summer Rose's grave was as beautiful and polished as ever. It brought a smile to Ruby's face. It was like a sign that, no matter how much time went by, some things never changed.

She, for one, had grown much taller in the last fourteen years. Weiss had been _severely_ jealous about that development, something the redhead had lost no opportunity to make jokes about – at least until she grew past Cinder's height too, then it became safer to _not_ make a big deal out of it.

She now let her hair grow out a little longer, falling a bit past her shoulders, and also stopped dying it partially black. She would never admit it to anyone, but, looking back, she found her previous hairstyle pretty silly.

But everything else? Virtually the same. Her silver eyes carried the same perpetual glee and joviality, as did her smiles and laughter. Crescent Rose was still her inseparable companion… And her cloak. Damn, she loved that cloak.

"Hey, mom," she closed her eyes respectfully. "So, this year has been pretty great…"

* * *

No matter how many times she visited, Cinder couldn't help but be impressed by how much Beacon had grown over the years. After the destruction the White Fang had wrought upon the school, Ozpin had taken a… peculiar decision: to make it bigger and better. They had double the classrooms, double the dormitories, double the teaching staff, and, most importantly, double the students.

Strangely enough, she felt a great deal of nostalgia as she walked through the front of the school, filled with teenagers goofing off during their free time. She had never been an official student in Beacon, but some of her fondest memories had taken place there.

Thankfully, all traces of her previous life had been erased and forgotten, so no one sounded an alarm at the sight of her. She was sure she could grab a random student and drag them off for torture, and no one would be the wiser… Not that she should actually even consider doing such a thing.

She had a very clear goal for the visit, and she couldn't be long, or else things back at the city could go up in explosions - literally. Cinder shuddered every time she remembered the consequences of the _one time_ she had handed the responsibilities of her tea shop to her employees… Oh, the liquefied terrors that had been produced, the traumatized clientele…

Luck seemed to be favoring her that day, though, as no urgent messages had arrived on her Scroll, and Ozpin opened his door quickly when she knocked. She entered his office, but didn't sit down in front of his desk.

"Cinder," he greeted from his seat, swinging his cane exaggeratedly. The headmaster had started to act very oddly around her as they became closer friends over the years. "What do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"

"The usual, for this time of year," she said, raising an eyebrow at him. "Our usual get-together to celebrate Mira's defeat? The one everyone comes to?"

"Oh, right," Ozpin scratched his chin curiously. "I always forget that's a thing. Where is it going to take place this time?"

"My place. It'll be this Saturday afternoon."

"Ah, yes, of course," he nodded. "I'll be there. You do know you could just call me, right? Phones are useful like that."

Cinder shrugged.

"What can I say. I'm a people-person," she smiled. "Besides, I'll be inviting Raven too. Is she busy right now?"

"Perhaps. Class break is usually five minutes from now, so maybe you'll catch her if you're fast."

She nodded and started towards the door.

"Wait!" He called, making her stop in her tracks. "Can I… Well… Glynda can come too, right?"

Cinder blinked, then turned to look at him with a smirk on her face. She had never seen the headmaster so embarrassed before.

"Oh, my," she said. "Have you been hiding some interesting development from me, Ozpin? This is _very_ juicy…"

"Yes, or no?" He asked firmly, in a tone of voice usually reserved for when he tried to impress a student.

"Yes," Cinder answered. "But you're going to tell me _everything_ at the party."

Ozpin groaned and pressed his forehead against his desk.

Cinder left the office, content to leave him in his state of misery and shame. As soon as she stepped outside of the room, though, a crowd of little children swarmed the floor in front of her, making it impossible for her to go anywhere. All she could do was wait and be thankful she hadn't been caught in the middle of the hellish parade of joy and laughter.

When five minutes passed, she came to the conclusion that there might be no end to the flow of children. For her safety, she decided to just send a text message to Raven, and hope her friend hadn't been killed under a thousand childish feet.

* * *

"Yeah, get that Dust on storage as quickly as possible," Blake said as she hopped off her motorcycle, one hand tapping her earpiece so she could communicate with her crew. "And make sure you catalogue it properly. We don't want to redistribute product that might have been tampered with by the White Fang."

She was very glad to finally be on her feet again. She much preferred moving on foot – her cat ears got sore quickly when she wore a helmet – but Yang had showed her numerous times how much faster a motorcycle was. In her line of work, swiftness was crucial.

Another advantage was that she got to park right in front of the Schnee building, contrary to everyone else. A motorcycle was much less spacious than a car, and no one would dare steal it from her, even if it was right there on the street for everyone to see.

"Alright, guys. This is it for today," she sighed. "Good job out there."

She removed the earpiece and stored it away, then entered the building. The cool air inside sent pleasurable chills down her skin, and the soft cacophony of a thousand voices drowned out her worries.

Her job was hard, messy, and dangerous, but rewarding. Every time she came back to the SDC and saw how many faunus she had managed to bring into the industry by showing they could and _should_ be trusted… It was an indescribable feeling, but a good one nonetheless.

Blake felt so peaceful and relaxed as she headed to the elevators, that she almost missed a familiar red sight to her right. _Almost_.

"Ruby?" She called amusedly. "What are you doing standing in line with everyone else?"

Ruby turned to look at her dubiously, as if she didn't understand the point of her question. She was right in the middle of a line of nearly a hundred people, waiting to speak to one of the receptionists.

"I'm waiting, of course." She said.

"For what?" Blake frowned.

"To…" Something seemed to click inside Ruby's head as she looked down at her feet shamefully. "To get an appointment with you and Weiss."

The brunette stared in awe for a few moments, then pulled her friend out of the line and dragged her to a private elevator. She set the course to the highest floor, then turned to examine the redhead.

"Have you been out Hunting all week?" Blake asked worriedly.

"Yes, _duh_. I'm _me_ ," Ruby rolled her eyes. "Do I smell?"

"Not really. You just seem overly energetic," the faunus smiled. "I assume you had a good time."

"The _goodest_!" Ruby exclaimed happily. "There were Beowolves and Ursai and a King Taijitu and even _two_ giant Nevermores…"

"Sounds like a slow Ruby week to me."

"Yeah, kinda."

Blake chuckled and stepped out the door as it opened. Ruby followed behind her, intrigued by the fancy hallway they found themselves it. The walls were almost fully made of glass, permitting her to see inside various labs and strategy meetings and other important-looking rooms.

"Wait a second," Blake said. "I need to talk to someone real quick."

She opened a door and stuck her head inside, staring at a team of scientists.

"Jayden?" She called, and one of the male scientists raised his head immediately.

"Miss Schnee!" He exclaimed. "How may I help you?"

"I need someone to analyze a bunch of Dust we retrieved from the White Fang during our last raid," she explained. "Can you do it?"

"Right on it, Miss Schnee!"

Blake smiled gratefully and returned to the hallway, where she found a very content-looking Ruby.

"Hi," the redhead said. " _Miss Schnee_."

"Ah, stop it," Blake blushed. "It's been almost a year, and people won't stop calling me that. It's embarrassing, and actually very inefficient. How am I supposed to tell if they're talking to me or Weiss?"

"Yeah, I kinda have the same problem too," Ruby sighed. "But at least my name sounds fancier."

"Right, _Miss Rose-Fall_ ," the faunus rolled her eyes. "As if you were the first to think of hyphenating."

"Hyphe-what?"

Blake shook her head in wonder, then started walking again. After a few moments, they arrived before a set of double doors, which the faunus didn't hesitate to slam open, a devious smile forming on her lips.

Weiss had been sitting behind her desk, dutifully writing away at a bunch of contracts and documents. When the doors hit the walls, making a thundering noise, she actually jumped onto her chair and looked up in fright.

"You-" Weiss held back her words and smoothed her suit as she hopped off the chair, as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. "You didn't startle me."

"Yes, I did," Blake sang. "I _always_ do."

"Humph. You're lucky you're good in beeeee-" Weiss's voice dragged into a screech as she noticed Ruby's presence. "Battle. You're good in battle."

"Weiss, I'm not fifteen anymore," Ruby frowned. "I know you meant good in-"

"Ssh! No words!"

As if to stop anything else from coming out of Ruby's mouth, Weiss embraced her in a tight hug. Ruby was smart enough to know the gesture had multiple motivations behind it, but she was too happy about the hug to complain.

"Anyway," Weiss cleared her throat as she retreated from the hug. "I always like to see my partner, but why exactly are you here?"

"She gets very clingy when I come back home," Blake whispered. "Don't take it personally."

"Don't worry, I won't be long," Ruby smirked at Weiss's confused expression. "I'm just here to remind you two that the yearly _Yeah-Mira's-in-jail!_ celebration is coming up. We expect you at the Rose-Fall residence this Saturday afternoon."

"Do you _not_ know what a phone call is?"

Blake elbowed Ruby lightly, as if to bring attention to her latest remark.

"Right. Sorry," Ruby forced a smile, then started to back off slowly. "I'll be going now. You'll be there, right?"

"Yes." Weiss crossed her arms grumpily.

"Can you bring the fancy drinks?"

" _Yes_."

"When are you two planning on adopting-"

" _Go_!"

Ruby shook her hands in a peaceful gesture, then slipped off into the hallway, closing the doors behind her.

Blake shook her head as she turned to face her wife.

"You don't have to be so rude," she said. "I think it's nice that she came here in person."

"That doesn't matter," Weiss stated. "Today is Blake day, and there are no guests on Blake day."

"But you run one of the world's most important companies," Blake pointed out. "You can't ignore all your responsibilities just because your wife-"

"Today. Is. Blake day."

The faunus sighed and sat down on a chair, resigning herself to her fate. Ninety-five percent of the time, Weiss was a very rational, business-oriented person. But the remaining five percent…

Really, Blake should have grown used to it years ago.

* * *

Cinder was very relieved when she came back to her teashop and found it intact and still with a healthy amount of customers. It made her think she might have to start giving her employees more credit.

As she entered the place, she couldn't help but feel like she was in a dream. Usually, she was behind the counter since the first morning hours, so she rarely noticed how many people came inside the shop. Just from a vague look, she could guess a number of at least fifty.

A month after Mira's defeat, Cinder had moved to Vale and decided, after much thinking and planning, to open a tea shop, right where _Iroh's_ had been. To her displeasure at the time, she had had to borrow money from several of her friends – even _Taiyang_! – but it had taken a surprisingly short time to pay them back.

The shop, which she had named _Sustrai's_ , had built quite the reputation over the years. Tea-making had been one of the last things Cinder had expected to be proficient at, but apparently she was a _master_ at it. It felt good to be famously skilled at something that wasn't illegal.

As she greeted her costumers and complimented her employees, a faint beep came from her Scroll. She moved to stand behind the counter and looked at the screen, finding a message from Raven, in response to invitation to the party.

 _Is Yang gonna be there_?

Cinder frowned, not truly knowing the answer to that. Yang's presence during the years had been hit-or-miss – sometimes she showed, sometimes she didn't. She was always invited, and she always said she would come.

 _Yes_ , Cinder typed back hesitantly.

 _Okay. I'm assuming Tai can come too?_

 _Yes. *shudders*_

Cinder hoped the little joke was enough to distract Raven from the lie she had been told. Ruby had invited her sister already, but…

The pyromancer had been there to see Raven in the parties Yang had missed. It wasn't a pretty sight – even Taiyang couldn't comfort her. Most of the group thought it was just because of the age old story of Raven having missed her daughter's childhood, but Cinder was sure there was more behind it.

Well, there was only one thing Cinder could do to make sure everyone was happy. Shaking off her fear of shop fires and acid teas, she told her employees she would be leaving again, then walked out the door with a determined look on her face.

* * *

Ruby yawned as she stood up from the roadside bench she had fallen asleep on. Sometimes she regretted not owning an actual vehicle and having to run everywhere. It was tiring, which led to her sometimes having to sleep in the middle of a field, or worse. Luckily, she looked very scary with her scythe and blood-colored cloak, so no one had ever dared to bother her in these occasions.

This time, she seemed to have gone a little overboard, though. The sun was high in the sky, which told her it was already past lunch hour. Cinder must have been dying of worry.

Ruby rubbed her eyes drowsily, then retrieved her Scroll, expecting to find a dozen or more frenzied voice messages asking about her absence. The thought brought a smile to the redhead's face…

Which was quickly gone once she saw the single message on her screen.

 _So… Anyone gonna pick me up soon…?_

"Oh, poop!" Ruby spun around madly. "Okay. One hour from Vale. Not that long. Running… Half an hour. I can do it!"

She broke off into a run, immediately turning into a blur that surpassed the speed of all the cars in the road.

Behind the bench she had fallen asleep on, a hobo raised his head with a very confused expression on his face.

"What the hell was that…?"

* * *

"Ah ha! Found you!"

Yang groaned and tried to somehow merge her face with the counter of the bar she was sitting in front of. Cinder poked her in the shoulder, making it impossible for herself to be ignored.

"Congratulations," Yang said with a muffle voice. "You found the hiding drunk Xiao Long."

"You know it's too early to drink, right?" Cinder asked worriedly.

"I'm not drinking. Not right now, anyway," the blonde sighed. "I'm having a hangover."

"Ah."

Cinder shook her head, then dragged her sister-in-law off her seat forcibly, ignoring every mumbled protest and weakly-thrown punch. She had dealt with this occasionally, just often enough to know Yang wasn't really capable of hurting her in such state.

"Now I'm gonna bring you back to my house, since you don't have one," the pyromancer said sternly. "We're gonna pretend I didn't find you like this, so that my wife can stay a happy little trooper for this Saturday's party."

"Ah, yes! The party! The one I was gonna attend!"

"You sure are going to attend now. You're staying over until then."

Cinder threw a stack of money for the barkeeper, then dragged Yang out of the bar. Once they were outside, it was a greater struggle to keep the drunken blonde from falling down or trampling over passersbyes, but eventually they arrived at the pyromancer's car.

"Get in." Cinder ordered.

"I don't wanna!" Yang crossed her arms proudly, then swayed a little. "Okay, maybe I wanna."

Yang got into the back seats and splayed over them, much to Cinder's dismay. The brunette sat behind the wheel and turned the rearview slightly so she could glance at her passenger. There was something else she should be doing every Friday afternoon, but with Yang like that…

"You need to get your shit together," Cinder voiced lowly as she turned the car's keys. "You're not going to do it for me. Of course not. I expected you to do it for Ruby, or your father, but that's not enough either."

She didn't know if Yang saw the glare that was thrown at her, but she hoped she did.

"Do it for your mother."

* * *

When Ruby stopped running, she felt like she would drop dead on the floor. All she could do to keep from collapsing was to lean forward and take long, deep breaths. Unfortunately, the sight of a Huntress hunching over breathlessly was not the most glamorous of sight, especially for people who hung around in front of a school.

"Mom?"

The redhead felt herself die inside as she spun around to look at the source of the voice, a twelve-year-old boy with blue eyes and flaming red hair. A smile played on his lips as he stared at her with amusement and disbelief.

"Did you just run all the way over here?" He asked.

"Y-yes." She managed to say.

"Why…?" He continued. "I thought Other Mom was coming over… With her _car_."

"I don't know what happened with Other Mom," Ruby shook her head slowly. "She's probably busy running the teashop or something."

He shrugged, trying to seen indifferent, even though he had been waiting to be picked up for nearly two hours. Before he could even prepare himself for it, Ruby seemed to have an instant recovery, which she utilized to close the distance between them and hug him.

"Aw, my little Lumi!" She cooed. "I'm so happy to see you!"

" _Mom_!" He blushed and looked away. "There are people from the school nearby."

"I'm sorry," she apologized, retreating from the embrace. He was about to thank her for the space, but suddenly Ruby hugged him again. "I can't resist it! You're so _cute_! How was school this week? Did you have fun? Did you learn useful things like… numbers and… how to make bigger numbers?!"

"Yes, mom," Lumi deadpanned. "That's _exactly_ how math works."

Before he could become even more embarrassed in front of his peers, Lumi started to walk away, taking the initiative of going home. Ruby followed him, keeping up with her relentless questions, which he tried his best to answer, while giving away as little information as possible.

* * *

"I got you something for your headache," Cinder said tiredly. "Here you go."

Yang reached upward with her hand to grab the pill, then swallowed it as if it were nothing. Cinder could only shake her head sadly. The blonde had wasted no time before collapsing in the living room's sofa, as if the house belonged to her.

"Can I just say I still don't believe how lucky you and my sister are?" Yang said loudly. "Look at this house. You have a top-tech television, computer, nice furniture… Hell, you even keep a garden. _Cinder Fall_ keeps a garden."

"And I'm very proud of it," the pyromancer crossed her arms and sat beside her. "And we're not _that_ well-off."

"Right. I guess I'm just _imagining_ every luxurious thing around me."

Cinder frowned and looked at the room they were in.

"Maybe you're right. It's a nice house," she muttered. "Which is kinda sad, actually. Between Ruby's constant Hunting and Lumi's being at school for five days a week… It gets lonely."

"Aw!" A familiar voice sounded behind them. "You never told me you felt that way!"

Cinder turned to look behind her. Ruby's pout had her feeling remorseful and guilty in an instant.

"Ruby!" The pyromancer forced herself to smile. "I didn't _mean_ that."

"You _did_. You're a pretty good liar, Cinder, but you don't fool me," Ruby sighed dramatically. "I guess I'll be taking a vacation for the next month."

Cinder rolled her eyes, then stood up to kiss her wife on the lips. She should have expect nothing less from Ruby – one hint of Cinder being even _slightly_ upset, and the redhead would go miles to rectify the problem.

Yang jumped to her feet, making a remarkable effort to not wobble and collapse. Cinder seeing her hungover was one thing, but Ruby… She preferred her little sister to be ignorant of her latest… adventures.

"Now, now, lovebirds," the blonde raised a finger obnoxiously. "You can do your stuff later. I demand a hug."

"Yang!" Ruby exclaimed, leaping over the sofa to embrace her sister. "I'm so happy you're here! Are you staying over? Please me you're staying over!"

"Yeah, I'm staying over! Sheesh," Yang shook her head in wonder. "You're still as energetic as ever."

"You don't know the half of it." Cinder smirked.

Lumi had run off to his room to put his backpack away, but now he was back and shooting a fierce glare at his brunette mother. Yang was more than surprised to see Cinder squirm uncomfortably under the stare.

"I'm sorry I didn't pick you up," the pyromancer said, then hugged her son. "I didn't mean to keep you waiting, but I had to pick up your aunt."

"Hmm," for a moment, it seemed like Lumi would straight up reject her apology, but then he smiled widely in a manner almost identical to Ruby's and patted Cinder on the head. "I forgive you. Just don't do it again."

Cinder nodded before being unceremoniously shoved away by Yang, who put her hands on her hips and began to examine Lumi from head to toe. The boy's eyes widened – if he were a cartoon character, he surely would have shrunk to an ant's size.

"Damn, kid. You've grown this past year," Yang said. "I can see you'll become a handsome young lad. I bet you got a lot of ladies' hearts already, eh?"

"A-aunt Yang!" He blushed. "T-that's not true!"

"You're into boys, then?"

"N-not that, either!"

"Don't pay her any mind, Lumi," Cinder shook her head in disapproval. "Your aunt's just messing with you," she smiled comfortingly. A moment later, her eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Are you uncomfortable because something she said was true?"

Lumi laughed nervously, then ran to his room and slammed his door shut. Yang laughed and punched Cinder on the shoulder playfully. She had always wanted to play the part of an overbearing aunt, and now she had the support of the mother too!

"You two are unbelievable," Ruby sighed. "I'm gonna go check on him."

"Oh, come on!" Yang rolled her eyes. "We were just kidding around! Let the kid be embarrassed!"

"No, that could traumatize him for life!" The redhead exclaimed sharply.

" _That's_ an overreaction. Cinder, tell your wife she's overreacting," Yang requested. Cinder gave her an emotionless look, then slowly shook her head. "Ah. I see. You're on a leash."

Cinder nodded fervently. Ruby smiled approvingly, then raced to her son's room.

"You know," Yang said. "It's in moments like these that I'm glad I'm still single."

* * *

Cinder had to leave for work again the next day, but she intended to close the shop earlier so she could be home to greet her guests. Unfortunately, things rarely ever went so smoothly, and she had to satisfy more than a hundred costumers before being able to leave. When she returned to her house, she found Ozpin and Glynda waiting in the porch after ringing on the doorbell.

"Hello," the headmaster greeted humorously. "Nice house. I wonder who lives here."

"Very funny." Cinder deadpanned.

Ruby opened the door a few moments later, then ushered them in, shooting her wife an accusatory look. Cinder could only shrug and move over to the living room, where she discovered everyone had already arrived.

Yang was on the sofa, sitting beside Weiss and Blake. Raven was standing, drinking from a glass of juice, with Taiyang at her side. Lumi was near in a corner, trying to stay invisible to everyone's attentions, like any lone kid in an adults' gathering.

Weiss had been in the middle of telling a story, but she stopped to look at the new arrivals. Before she could say anything, though, Yang jumped to her feet.

"Holy crap! Am I seeing things?" She pointed to Ozpin and Glynda, then rubbed her eyes furiously. "Is everyone else seeing this?"

"You are being very unamusing, Miss Xiao Long." Glynda noted coldly.

"Yep. It even _sounds_ like her!" Yang smiled. "Damn, Ozpin. I thought you were never gonna go there. Always a surprise with you."

The headmaster looked away, then took a seat while murmuring greetings for everyone else. Cinder chuckled, still intending to learn everything about his relationship with Glynda, but deciding to leave it for later. Instead, she moved closer and laid her hands on Weiss and Blake's shoulders.

"Hey. I haven't seen you two since the wedding," she said. "How have you been?"

"Splendid, thank you for asking." Weiss replied immediately.

"The honeymoon was especially great." Blake added.

"Well, yes. You didn't _have to_ make that known to everyone," the white-haired woman noted. "How have _you_ been, Cinder? Is business treating you well?"

"Yeah, it's great. We're exceeding expectations each month," Cinder told. "I think we'll have to expand, actually. Too little space for too many costumers."

"Oh, I have some tips for you, then…"

Blake groaned and looked at Yang.

"There they go again." She muttered.

"Hey, look at the bright side," Yang shrugged. "At least we don't have to hear about the SDC's stocks anymore."

Blake tilted her head to the side, then nodded. That was a bright side indeed.

Yang looked towards her mother, meeting her eyes for a brief moment, then looked away. Raven wanted to come over to her side and talk, but with so many people around… It didn't seem right. She could only hope things wouldn't get too overwhelming for her daughter.

Ruby began to move towards her father, but stopped briefly as she saw something happening at the corner of her vision. Apparently, Lumi's attempt of staying undetected had been foiled by Ozpin. She recognized the look on the headmaster's face – the one he wore when he saw a potential student.

"So, you're Lumi. We've met before, haven't we?"

"Yes, sir. Three years ago, I think," the boy smiled shyly. "I was in school the other times this party was held."

"I see," Ozpin said seriously. "How much time has passed since you were adopted?"

"Three and a half years, sir."

"And are you happy with your current situation?"

Ruby turned her back to them, knowing Lumi would naturally look over to her. A moment passed before she heard her son's voice again.

"Yes, sir! My mothers are great," he said. "They've been very kind to me. Cinder's always looking after me – sometimes a bit too much. And Ruby's the greatest Huntress _ever_!"

"That she is," Ozpin chuckled. "Are you planning on being a Huntsman, Mister Lumi?"

"…Yeah," Lumi sounded unsure at first, but then he spoke again, his voice filled with determination. "I want to be a Huntsman, sir. The greatest – even greater than Ruby."

"That's a tough dream to achieve. I've never shied away from telling this to any of my students – being a Huntsman does not mean you're a fairytale hero. It often hurts more than you can imagine."

Ruby frowned. What Ozpin said was true, but it wasn't encouraging at all. She feared it would make Lumi back down.

"I don't care, sir," the boy said firmly. "It's my dream."

"I see," Ruby knew Ozpin was smiling just from the tone of his voice. "Then know that, when the time is right, there'll be a room waiting for you at Beacon."

Ruby bit her lower lip, trying to keep herself from bursting into tears. She shuffled quickly to Taiyang, who looked at her worriedly.

"Something wrong, dear?" He asked.

"No, I'm okay," she laughed lightly. "I just heard Yang tell an amazing joke, but I can't let her know I found it funny. You know how she gets."

"Ah," Taiyang said. He looked around shiftily. "Could we talk in private for a moment?"

"Uh, okay," Ruby frowned. "Let's go to the kitchen. Nobody will hear us there."

They walked off without attracting anyone's attention. Once they were in the kitchen, Taiyang let out a huge breath and gripped her by the shoulders.

"Okay, sweetie, I'm gonna ask you something, and I really, really, _really_ don't wanna upset you." He said.

"Sheesh, dad," Ruby gulped. "Did someone die?"

"No, no. I just…" Taiyang sighed. "I wanna ask your permission to marry Raven," he grimaced. "I know, I know. It's probably nonsense. She's your friend, and all that. You got nothing against her. But… Well, you're Summer's daughter. I think you've got some say in it."

Ruby just stared at him in amazement.

"Wow, dad. Is that it?" She smiled. "I know you two have been seeing each other for a while now. You – and her – seem pretty happy about it. So, of course you can marry Raven. You have my approval."

"Oh, thank Remnant! I have the best daughters ever!" He hugged her. "Yang's okay with it too. Now it's just a matter of buying a ring, and choosing the right time…"

Ruby nodded, eager to help her father with his new plans.

* * *

The hours passed by unnoticed, until the sun fell over the horizon, bringing the stars in the night sky. Ozpin and Glynda were the first to leave – the headmaster claimed he had school business to attend to, but Cinder was sure he just wanted to avoid being forced to tell her about his love life's current status. Oh well, she would have to find another time to trap him.

Weiss and Blake decided to leave soon after, despite Ruby's protests.

"Can't you stay overnight?" The redhead begged as they exited the house. "Please?! We have guest rooms! I-I'll sleep on the couch if you want! You can have my room!"

"Your room is my room too." Cinder noted.

"Cinder! Don't be rude!" Ruby admonished.

"I'm really sorry. I wish we could stay, but there's always stuff to take care of in the SDC." Weiss said.

"Yeah. I have another operation to run next week, which I should begin preparations for as soon as possible," Blake added. "The White Fang is stubborn. Every base of their we raid, two more seem to pop up. And the next target is pretty massive. I could use your help, Ruby."

The invitation was very tempting, but Ruby couldn't take it.

"Nah. I gotta stay with Cinder now," she said. "She's lonely. I'm staying home for a month."

"Huh," Blake shot Weiss a furtive glance. "We have Blake day. I guess they've got Ruby month."

"Don't give me any ideas." Weiss smiled.

The couple started to leave, but Ruby jumped to their side again, pulling her ex-partner by the shoulder.

"Wait! I know I asked you before, and you got annoyed, but… But…" She shook slightly, as if she were containing an explosion of glee within herself. "When are you gonna adopt a kid?!"

Weiss held back a dismayed look. Blake just chuckled.

"Don't worry, Ruby," the faunus said. "I'm gonna convince her sooner or later."

"It's not like I don't _want_ kids," Weiss said. "I just want us to take our time."

"I understand that, Weiss, but…" Cinder shrugged. "Having a kid is wonderful. You shouldn't wait _too_ long."

"Humph," the CEO crossed her arms. "…I'll consider it."

"Adopt one Lumi's age!" Ruby requested excitedly. "They could be friends! It would be so cute! We could bring them to each other's houses and they'd play together and eventually-"

Cinder smiled apologetically to Weiss and Blake, then dragged her wife back to her house.

Unfortunately, they seemed to have returned at a most inopportune time, as Yang and Raven were having a quiet, yet fierce discussion, while Taiyang hung back helplessly.

"You can't mean this, Yang," Raven sounded immensely sad – more than she had ever been in recent years. "You can't sleep in some _bar_. Shit, not even a _hotel_?"

"Don't push it. It's no big deal," Yang said through gritted teeth. "I've been living like this for a long time, okay? It's never been a problem."

"It _is_ a problem!" Raven insisted. "Yang, _please_ … You can stay in my room at Beacon."

"No," the blonde crossed her arms. "I don't wanna spend time with you, okay? Just leave me alone."

"Yang!" Taiyang snapped.

She turned her head to stare at him, and he expected her eyes to have turned red with rage – but they were still violet, and full of sadness and pain. Ruby reached to touch her in the shoulder, but Yang brushed her off and started towards the door.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled. "Just leave me alone."

And just like that, she was gone. Raven looked at her feet, her hands trembling. Taiyang snaked an arm around her shoulders, then gave Ruby and Cinder a comforting smile.

"Don't worry, I'll get her back to Beacon," he said. "I'll find Yang afterwards, okay?"

"Yeah, okay," Ruby was still upset, but she didn't want to worsen the situation for Raven. "Good luck."

He nodded, then exited the house.

A few minutes passed as Ruby just stood there, trying to understand what had just happened. Something was wrong with her sister – something hidden deep within her, and somehow it was related to Raven…? It was too much to take in at once, and she couldn't help but feel like she should have seen this coming a long time ago.

She only woke from her stupor when Cinder touched her shoulder lightly with a worried look on her face.

"Hey. I'm sorry," the pyromancer whispered. "I know it's… tough. We can talk about it later, okay? I've… got to do that thing."

"Oh. Yeah," Ruby rubbed her arms meekly. "I totally forgot about that. Just don't be too long. More than two hours and I'll come running, okay?"

"Sure," Cinder planted a kiss on her forehead. "Thanks for looking out for me."

"Hey," Ruby smiled half-heartedly. "That's what wives are for."

* * *

 _Snap_.

Nothing.

 _Snap_.

Nothing. Maybe next time.

 _Snap_.

Still nothing.

 _Snap_.

 _Spark!_

…No. Just her imagination.

 _Snap_.

"You can stop that now. It's never going to happen."

Mira looked up to the window of her containment cell, finding her daughter standing right outside with a solemn expression on her face. The criminal's eyes straightened, and she tried to delve even deeper into the corner of her room she was sitting against.

She raised her shaky fingers again.

 _Snap_.

"Please. You need to stop it," Cinder sighed. "It's been fourteen years. Your power is never coming back."

"You don't know that," Mira muttered, her once beautiful voice now raspy and weak. "I can do it. You'll see. You'll see…"

Cinder snapped her own fingers, producing a living flame. Mira's eyes widened in admiration.

"I took it away. The only way you could ever have your power back is if I gave it back," Cinder said, her voice trembling with rage and desperation. "And I'll _never_ do that, so you _need_ to stop feeding this fruitless hope. You could be someone better, if you would just try!"

Mira shook her head violently.

 _Snap snap snap snap_.

"Fuck!" Cinder exclaimed, her eyes shining like fire for a brief moment. "You're a pathetic madwoman! I'm never visiting you again!"

Cinder's footsteps echoed heavily as she marched away. A door banged shut, and all lights went off, leaving Mira in utter darkness.

A quiet, victorious laugh filled the cell.

 _Snap!_

* * *

Cinder wasn't too surprised to find Ruby sleeping on the living room's sofa when she came back home. The redhead had probably been so worried about her wife and her older sister, that the stress had gotten to her – she had a tendency to deal with these situations with a good night of sleep.

The pyromancer picked her up, then moved her to their room and put her down on their bed. Gently, she drew the covers over her, then observed her for a brief moment.

Before joining her, Cinder decided to check on their son. Lumi had gotten to an age where he stubbornly insisted that there was no reason to sleep early – if at all. Hey, there were twenty-four hours a day, why not used all of them?

When she entered his room, however, she was surprised to find him not on his computer or watching television, but lying on his bed and drawing on a sketchbook. He looked at her like a deer caught in a headlight.

"Mom," he said awkwardly. "I thought you were sleeping."

"Not yet," Cinder hummed in wonder. "What are you doing?"

Lumi tried to keep the sketchbook out of her reach, but she took it with surprising speed – surprising for him, at least. Cinder looked at it, expecting to find some heartfelt confession to a classmate or even some more… inappropriate things, but instead, the paper was filled with drawings of different weapons and armors.

"Oh," she frowned. "I didn't know you were interested in this, Lumi."

"Well, I'm not _crazy_ about weapons. Not like Other Mom, at least," Lumi said. "I just… it's cool, you know. And I wanna design my own weapon someday, like she did."

"That's… great," Cinder smiled, then ruffled his hair, which didn't make him too happy. "I'll support you no matter what you want to be."

Lumi nodded. He looked away wearing an expression she was familiar with – the one he wore when he wanted to ask a question, but didn't know if it was appropriate or not.

"What is it, Lumi?" She asked. "You know the rules. You're transparent with us, we're transparent with you."

"Okay," he sighed. "I was just wondering… What's this celebration all about, anyway? Some dude you defeated fourteen years ago?"

"…She was a woman, actually, and very, very dangerous." Cinder answered.

"Really? What was so dangerous about her?"

Cinder paused, a horrible feeling of guilt overwhelming her. Ruby and her had never told their son about Mira, or her previous life. Lumi barely knew about Cinder's power.

 _You're transparent with us, we're transparent with you_.

"She was just very powerful. She hurt a lot of people – she killed your grand-uncle, even," Cinder hoped she sounded as convincing as she wanted to be. "It took a lot of work and pain, but eventually… Ruby defeated her."

"Wow. She's super cool," Lumi smiled. "You're lucky you got together with her."

"Yeah. More than you can imagine."

Cinder laid the sketchbook beside him on the bed, then walked backwards until she was out of the room.

"Okay, I'm gonna let you be in peace now," she said. "Don't sleep too late, okay?"

" _Mom_ , there are twenty-four hours-"

"I know. I love you."

She closed the room and stumbled backwards, slamming her back against the wall behind her.

Couldn't things ever be perfect, even after so long? She had endured so much, let go of all her wrongdoings, become someone new and _better_ … And then this happened – she couldn't tell her own son who she really was, in fear of being seen as a monster.

Was it destiny for her to never be truly happy? Another effect of her cursed lineage?

She walked back to her bedroom and looked at the sleeping Ruby, her vision hazy with tears.

 _No_.

This was it. This was true happiness. Life wasn't perfect, and she should be happy she was so lucky as to have a loving wife, a wonderful son, so many close friends…

Lucky… Not really. She had flipped her coin, made her own luck.

So she lied down under the covers and hugged Ruby, resting her head against her shoulder, hearing her wife's calm, rhythmic breathing.

"Good night. I love you, Ruby."

And she fell asleep.

* * *

 **...**

 **Aaah. What a wonderful feeling.**

 **When I started this story, I firmly believe it would be a flop. I mean... Who ships Falling Petals? To me, that was such an absurd notion - it still kinda is. I don't ship them myself, because it's so... farfetched.**

 **But people loved it. I was fucking amazed when the story broke 50 followers with ONE chapter. Now it has 450~ followers and 300~ favorites, _and_ 330~ reviews. Just amazing.**

 **So I gotta thank you guys for being amazing readers. A story is not a story if there is no to experience it.**

 **And, sincerely, I feel especially good not only because of the _statistic_ success of _FRBB_ , but also because I just loved the whole of it. There are elements of this story that I put a lot of thought into - the whole Fall plotline, the parallel between Cinder and Raven... Differently from some stuff from _CoS_ and _DoS_ , I think I might never come to regret anything I wrote here.**

 **Anyway. Enough emotional wish-wash.**

 **What's next with the Mr. Zeroan?**

 **First of all, _Of Vale Blood_. That'll be my main story from now on. If you'd like to, please check it out. I'll also be picking _Days of Spring_ back up and finishing it. I'll explain the reason for its hiatus on the story itself.**

 **And, as for _Falling Roses Burn Brighter_... Well... Don't let your hopes die, folks. If you thought there were seeds for more planted in this epilogue... They might become beautiful flowers someday.**

 **... Hehe.**

 **A _Falling-Roses-Burn-Brighter_ _-_ sized thank you.**

 **-Zeroan**


	28. Destiny

_The flight of an arrow, the air parting around it with a sharp sound._

 _The head buried in tender flesh, becoming red with blood._

 _She walked to her, a boast rising to the tip of her tongue._

 _A pair of emerald eyes rose to meet her amber ones, and she felt herself lose her balance from that stare alone._

 _"Do you believe in destiny?"_

* * *

Cinder sat up in her bed, gasping for air. Her hair was plastered to her forehead and the back of her neck. A familiar, sinister heat bubbled inside her. Her blankets would be sticking to her skin if they hadn't been hogged by a certain someone, as they always were.

Ruby's eyes opened a few seconds later, fixing immediately on her girlfriend. She smiled for a moment, taking in the sight of her, only to frown as she realized something was wrong.

"Cinder?" She asked softly, sitting up beside her. "Is everything okay?"

Cinder did not respond to the sound of her voice. Her eyes were fixed on the wall opposite to her bed, glowing slightly. Ruby edged closer, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. It had been years, but she still recognized that look.

"Hey… I'm here. Your Ruby. Everything's okay."

Cinder's breathing softened slightly, and she turned her head to look at her. Her hands scrunched the duvet, a little vapor rising from her fingers. She winced and raised her hands away from the silk and shook her head.

"I…" She gulped, taking another shaky breath. "I killed… Pyrrha…"

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Ruby tilted her head dubiously. "Pyrrha's back at Beacon. She's probably sleeping with Jaune right now," she blinked. "I mean, not _sleeping with_ Jaune. Like, sleeping in the same bed as him. Just like us! Not that we didn't sleep together before sleeping in the same bed," the redhead's eyes narrowed. "They probably slept together too, now that I think about – you know what, I'm just gonna stop talking."

Her flusterment was enough to elicit a smile from Cinder, albeit a small one. Ruby was always able to calm her down, most of the time without even trying.

"It was a nightmare. I was at the top of Beacon tower, I think, but… everything was falling apart. There were Grimm everywhere, or at least it felt like it," Cinder rubbed her forehead tiredly. "Pyrrha showed up. We fought. I buried an arrow on her chest and she…"

Cinder stopped talking. The flames inside her had faded, leaving her feeling cold. She didn't know why, but she needed to get out of this bed. Away from Ruby. Away from everything.

"Cinder," Ruby pressed herself to her. "It was just a nightmare."

"It didn't feel like a nightmare," Cinder muttered. "It felt like… something more…"

"You're a good person. You didn't kill Pyrrha," Ruby insisted, assuming a firmer tone of voice. "Now stop being silly and we can go back to sleep."

Cinder nodded mutely, laying down and turning on her side. Ruby followed suit, staring her in the eyes.

"Ruby… What if I'm not a good person? What if all of this is… wrong?"

"Shh. That nightmare, or whatever you thought it was… It doesn't matter."

Ruby slipped closer, giving her a kiss. And though it was a brief one, a tiny second in the grand measure of life, it sparked the flames inside Cinder back to life. But unlike before, they were burning low, gently, welcoming.

"We're here," Ruby said. "That's what matters."

* * *

 **Surprise!  
**

 **For clarification: this is set after Mira was defeated, and long before the Epilogue. Ruby is still attending Beacon.**

 **No, this is not the start of a sequel or anything. It's just a little piece I've been meaning to write since the end of Volume 3. Now that we know just how wicked she is, this story becomes a tad more difficult to believe. But that's the beauty of fanfiction - this is another version of Cinder, a version that was just different enough to be swayed by Ruby's goodness. And that is what I wanted to write about.**

 **I decided to finally put this to paper - or, uh, Word document I guess - on a whim. Writer's block will do that to you (damn you _Of Vale Blood_!). But I've also been meaning to write something in this story for a while, as a sort of commemoration of the continued readership it's been getting, and the milestone of 600 favorites! Woo! I'm glad so many people have picked up _Falling Roses_ after it was already over. Let me take this opportunity to welcome and thank those new readers!**

 **Now, about a potential sequel... I know a lot of people want to know more about Yang, to mention just one thing. And, yes, I have plans for that. Whether I'll get to writing that is another matter altogether. I'm pretty swamped with fanfiction already. If I were to write a sequel, it wouldn't be very soon. The soonest it could happen - and this is _not_ a promise, okay?! - would be after _Of Vale Blood_ is finished, but even then I'd wait a while.**

 **Anyways. I don't think I have anything else to say. Hope you guys enjoyed this little one-shot!**

 **-Zeroan**


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